Harry Potter and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
by Sivad Ttarp
Summary: Four years after the Battle of Hogwarts, an old threat rises, seeking the godly power of the Ark of the Covenant, and the only person standing in their way is a young auror by the name of Harry Potter.
1. Chapter 1: Auror

Chapter One: Auror

There were two of them. The shorter man was dark-skinned, known by his surname, Barranca. The second, who called himself Satipo, had thinning dark hair, even though he was only in his thirties. The two of them had spent the years after the Second War in partnership. They had both fled to South America shortly after the resurrection of he-who-must-not-be-named had been acknowledged to the wizarding community across the world.

Upon meeting, the pair had gone into business together. They had guided many through the treacherous jungles, from adventurous tourists to up and coming treasure hunters, but mostly the second variety. Often, the treasure hunters would go missing inexplicably, their finds taken, later to be sold to private collectors, wizard or muggle. It was business.

He had come to them the day before, a slightly tall young man, with messy jet-black hair and round glasses that did nothing to hide his striking green eyes. More remarkable than his eyes, however, was the thin scar on his forehead, shaped like a lightning bolt.

While even though Satipo and Barranca had spent their recent years away from the wizarding world, they recognized the boy who lived, the 'chosen one', it was said that he had personally killed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in a wizard's duel at Hogwarts, the acclaimed wizarding school.

Neither of the men cared much about this; their schemes did not depend at all on whether or not Europe was controlled by the Death Eaters. Much more interesting was the piece of old parchment brought by the man with the lightning-shaped scar. Part of a map, the other half had been used by Satipo and Barranca since they had discovered it, to con and lure their victims into the jungle, where the two men stole their valuables and equipment, wiping their memory afterwards.

While it had occurred to the partners that their map might lead to some great treasure, they had not had any serious thoughts about the idea until the wizard had shown up, with half a map that matched theirs perfectly.

Now he walked a few yards ahead of them, wearing dark clothing despite the heat. In his hands were both halves of the map. Satipo and Barranca followed after him, the trees on either side closing in, blocking out the sunlight. He followed no set path, often making slight course changes and occasionally reversing direction completely.

Pushing through the jungle plants in his way, Barranca uncovered a statue of aging gray stone. It bore the likeness of a hideous native demon, its eyes bugged, its pierced tongue extended past sharp teeth. He stepped back quickly and cursed, taking a second glance at the statue.

"We've never been here before," he whispered, eyes wide. "I don't like it."

Satipo nodded, "Worse," he said indicating a small wooden dart embedded in a nearby tree. "Poisoned. The Hovitos are near." The Hovitos were a band of particularly vicious natives; their signature weapon was poisoned darts. The two men had met them before and the encounter had ended with three tribesmen killed and four more injured by magic. Satipo doubted that the Hovitos would have forgotten him, or that they would be at all pleased to see him.

"Kill him now, before he leads us into their camp and gets us all killed. We can take the map and find whatever it is he's searching for and keep it." Satipo pointed to their client; he had stopped near a shallow pool of clear water. Leaning against a tree, wiping the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve.

Barranca nodded once, he reached into the pocket of his trousers, pulling out a long carved wooden stick. He raised the wand to point at the small of the European's back. Opening his mouth he hesitated a second. It was all the time it took.

_"Expelliarmus!" _shouted Harry Potter. Barranca's wand flew from his grasp and into the pool, breaking the flat surface with a series of ripples. It was the same spell he had used against Lord Voldemort, when the dark wizard's killing curse had rebounded, finally killing Tom Riddle. Permanently. That had been four years ago.

With recommendation of the new Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry had joined the reformed Auror office of the Ministry. Though he had only received his Auror status six months ago after undergoing the required training, he had yet to face anything compared to what he had gone through during his last few years at Hogwarts. Still, as this was his first assignment outside of the U.K., Harry was determined to do an especially good job. A simple con wizard with only a year's worth of magical education wouldn't stop him.

Barranca looked at his hand where his wand had been, and then, with one more furtive glance at Harry, he ran off into the forest.

Harry turned his wand to point at Satipo. The man was reaching toward his pocket, where his wand was most likely kept.

"Don't try anything," Harry said quietly, "We've already entered the magical boundary outside the temple, you can't apparate, at least not fully."

"No, no, no. You misunderstand Senor" Satipo said, thinking quickly. "I had no idea my friend would do such a thing. I will still follow you."

Harry sincerely doubted the validity of this statement, but he still expected he would need help. Reluctantly, he lowered his wand and put it back in his pocket.

Turning, Harry heard Satipo follow him as he trudged once more into the undergrowth. After a few minutes, Harry came to his destination. If he hadn't been right in front of it, he would have missed it. The temple was little more than a cave in the hillside, outlined by crumbling stone. On either side of the black yawning entrance were carved demonic faces, not unlike the one Barranca had discovered a few moments earlier.

As Satipo eyed the cave nervously, Harry raised his arm, pointing his wand into the darkness. _"Accio medallion." _He said. Nothing happened, other than Satipo hissing in pain as he pricked his finger on the bark of a nearby tree.

"Well, Satipo," said Harry, grimly. "Stay close behind me and don't touch anything, no matter how valuable it may look." And with that Harry stepped into the ancient temple and was swallowed up by the darkness.

Satipo took a furtive glance about, and only then, muttering furtively under his breath, did he enter after Harry. He had not seen fit to mention the Hovitos to his client.


	2. Chapter 2: The Temple

Chapter two: the temple

_"Lumos" _Harry whispered as he entered the temple. The faint light appearing at the end of his wand illuminated a tunnel crudely carved into the rock. Slightly luminescent cobwebs ahead blocked the way. 

Satipo had entered behind him and lit his own wand. "Please Senor, this place is evil. We shouldn't stay, what do you want here? I can get it for you elsewhere."

"I doubt that," Harry muttered. Actually, all he had been given was a description. The Auror office had generally made a point to tell him enough background information that he had a fairly good idea what he was doing. Not so here, he had been given a half a map, a description of the medallion, and been told that it was vital he recovered it before the others, as he was not the only one searching for it.

_"Diffindo" _Harry whispered, the spell severed the cobwebs ahead cleanly, the fell to both sides like a curtain. Large black spiders fell from the ceiling and scuttled into the darkness. One landed on Harry's shoulder, but he brushed it off. He was used to spiders falling from the ceiling. Satipo, however, sounded like he was whimpering as he kicked at the spiders.

Leaving the spiders behind, Harry strode forward into the darkness, the soft ground shifting slightly beneath his feet. Ahead of him a ray of light fell from a small hole in the roof to make a round circle of sunlight on the ground, much to neatly to be accidental.

Harry quickly waved his hand through the light, and stepped back. With a swooping sound, long spikes extended from a hidden alcove in the side of the tunnel. Worse, there was a decaying body embedded on the spikes, it's head twisted around so it seemed to stare at Harry and Satipo, who jumped.

While Harry wasn't as shocked by the skeleton as his companion (the boy who lived had certainly seen worse) it still could not be a good sign. Though torn and rotted away, there was no mistaking the style of the black wizard's robes the body wore. The hooded robes of a Death Eater.

While some Death Eaters, the followers of Lord Voldemort, had certainly escaped the justice of the new Ministry of Magic, they had been highly inactive since the fall of their master and his most trusted lieutenants. Harry supposed that while it was possible that some had fled to Peru, it seemed highly unlikely that they would spend much time wearing their identifiable robes, or why they would be sneaking around inside an ancient temple. Though he supposed it could have been there since before the Battle of Hogwarts, the body looked fresh…

Harry waited two minutes, until the spikes, still carrying the Death Eater's body, retracted into the wall. Then, carefully skirting the pool of light, he continued onward, Satipo following him apprehensively.

The tunnel turned slightly to the left, still inclining upward. Before them was a deep hole, about twelve feet wide. Harry could see a flash of water below, while the drop would probably not kill him, he doubted there was any exit from the pit.

Whispering under his breath, Harry waved his wand over the pit. After a few agonizing seconds, a thin wooden board streached across the pit conjured by magic. Harry crossed quickly, the board had no handrails and creaked under his feet, but it did not give way. Satipo followed, he stumbled near the end, and would have fallen had Harry not grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him up.

Satipo's eyes widened as he saw the golden circle hung on the stone wall. As large as a dinner plate, it was engraved with a golden sun.

"Senor…" he began but Harry cut him off.

"That's not what we're here for." Past the sun plate was a short corridor, much better carved than the rest of the temple, more demonic faces set into the walls, with a tiled floor. Past that, a circular room, lit from above with sunlight spilling through another hole, and in its center, bathed in the light, a round pedestal, upon which something gold glinted.

"Stay here," Harry told Satipo, who seemed all too happy to comply. "Keep your wand lit," then Harry whispered _"Nox" _to douse his own light. Harry stepped onto the stone tiles. With whooshing sound a small wooden dart flew from the open mouth a nearby statue, Harry felt the breeze as it flew past his face.

Much more carefully, Harry examined the floor. He noticed that about half of the tiles were slightly higher than the others were. Taking a guess as to what triggered the darts, he stepped onto one of the lower tiles. It was solid under his boot and no dart was fired.

It took Harry quite some time to navigate the hallway, stepping only on the lower tiles. Twice he made a mistake and triggered darts, but both times he was able to dodge them. By the time he made it to the circular room, fifteen minutes had passed. He looked back to Satipo, who was leaning against the wall patiently, admiring the golden plate.

Harry walked the pedestal. On it lay the object he had been ordered to recover. A small medallion, made of pure gold, with a single ruby embedded in it's center, runes carved around it. There was a hook on the top, so the pendant could be worn as a necklace, as well as a small spike on the bottom, so the medallion could be easily placed on a staff.

Harry muttered a quick spell, designed to discover any magical protections surrounding the medallion. When he found none, he picked it up, stuffing it safely into his pocket.

When nothing happened immediately, Harry turned toward the exit. As he turned the pedestal began to sink into the floor, an awful rumbling, like some huge beast stirring in a cavern beneath their feet began, and the temple started to tear itself apart.


	3. Chapter 3: An Old Rival

Chapter three: an old rival

A large rock tore away from the ceiling above, smashing to the ground directly to Harry's left. He threw himself to the side to avoid another. The cavern had begun to collapse. Clutching his wand, Harry sprinted toward Satipo, who had already begun to run across the narrow bridge Harry had conjured.

As he stepped on each raised tile, tiny darts shot out of the statues at Harry. Only to fall to the ground uselessly, deflected by his shield charm.

Harry turned the corner at top speed to find himself facing Satipo across the twelve-foot gap. The smaller wizard held his wand in his right hand, pointing it at Harry, in his left he carried the golden disc.

"Please throw me whatever it is you found," Satipo said loudly, talking over the continued rumbling. "I do not want any trouble, Senor."

Harry raised his wand, but he was too late. His stunning spell hit the wall where Satipo had been a moment before. The other wizard had attacked and ran. Not at Harry, but at the poorly conjured wooden bridge, which snapped and tumbled into the water below.

A slab of stone began to slowly grind down from the ceiling, blocking the only way out. Harry knew he did not have enough time to conjure another bridge, and so, cursing Satipo, he leapt.

Harry went farther than he had expected, but he still slammed into the far wall of the pit. The fingers of one hand clutching the floor above. He kicked and scrabbled for a handhold, but the loose dirt came away from the wall and fell into the water below.

_"Accio vine" _Harry shouted, his grip giving way. A long green vine, which had been hanging down the side of the pit, tore away from the muddy wall. Harry grabbed it.

The vine began to give way, unable to hold his weight. Harry climbed hand over hand and as the vine came away from the wall completely, he leapt, managing to get both arms over the side of the pit.

Kicking his legs, Harry was able to pull himself up. He slid under the stone door just before it reached the ground. He got to his feet quickly, he wasn't out yet.

Harry found himself facing Satipo; the wizard had been impaled on the same spikes as the Death Eater skeleton. Unlike the Death Eater, his eyes were wide with fear, and blood trickled from his mouth.

As the spikes retracted once more, the rumbling intensified. Harry spun to see a gigantic round boulder, fitting the tunnel perfectly, bear down from above. He raised his wand to stop it, but his spells only chipped the boulder, doing no real damage. This was the final defense. The when the boulder reached the entrance the temple would be sealed forever, with all trespassers inside.

Dodging the spikes, Harry broke into a run. Behind him the boulder crashed through the stalagmites and stalactites that had grown over time, and snapped off the long spikes, crushing their two dead occupants.

Harry drew on his last reserves of strength. Ahead of him, he could see the light emanating from the end of the tunnel. Behind him, he could hear the boulder gaining on him.

Summoning the last of his strength, Harry leapt. He fell to the soft ground outside the temple entrance, as the boulder slammed into it behind him. Not small enough to continue through the entrance, it stopped, shaking the ground on impact. A trickle of dust fell from above into Harry's hair; the temple had been sealed forever.

Groaning, Harry got to his feet, he was surprised to see Barranca standing in front of him, his expression blank. Then the jungle guide fell forward at Harry's feet. Small wooden darts protruded from his back.

"Very impressive, Potter," came a drawling voice, one Harry had never wished to hear again. "Really well done, destroying that ancient temple."

Draco Malfoy was tall and pale, with hair so blonde it was nearly white. He wore dark clothing despite the heat, not unlike that worn by the dead Death Eater. He also wore the same smug expression Harry had learned to hate ten years ago.

"Now," he said, still smiling. "You will give me the headpiece, free of charge, and I will allow you to live. Otherwise, well, I'll just get it a little bit later."

Harry leveled his wand at Malfoy, who had had his own wand out, but did nothing to defend himself.

"Attacking me would be unwise, Potter" said Malfoy, gesturing about with his wand, "I doubt my friends would be pleased." Twenty native warriors surrounded them; all carrying weapons leveled at Harry. Most of them carried blowguns while a few held bows and arrows, spears and bolas.

"I'd still be pleased. The Hovitos, I suppose?" asked Harry, who had indeed been listening to his guide's conversation.

"Yes. Did you know how much they like magic, just enough to worship and, more importantly, obey a wizard, believing them to be a god."

"More like the opposite."

"What's that?"

"I saved your life."

"And ruined my family. Now, the Headpiece."

Harry glanced around at the Hovitos. There was no way he could fight them all off, plus Malfoy, and he couldn't apparate to safety, thanks to the magical boundary around the temple. Harry took the medallion from his pocket, taking his time.

"Good, hand it over," said Malfoy.

"Why, should I?"

"Because I said so."

"Not good enough. _Stupefy!" _The nearest Hovitos was thrown backward, stunned. His fellows opened fire with their blowguns, but Harry deflected their darts with a shield charm, like he had done in the temple less than fifteen minutes earlier.

_"Accio headpiece" _Malfoy shouted. Though he snatched for it, the medallion flew from Harry's hand, Malfoy caught it deftly and, turning strode off into the jungle as the Hovitos closed in on Harry.

Harry ran, slamming into two of the warriors and knocking them aside. An arrow sped past his head to embed itself in a nearby tree trunk. Harry shot two more stunning spells his shoulder; both connected, and changed direction abruptly, sprinting down hill.

He quickly realized what a mistake that had been, when he saw the river. Several yards across, it moved quickly, frothing at the sides, and would most likely be filled with undesirable creatures.

An arrow grazed Harry shoulder, cutting through his robes and skin. He fell, rolling, until he scrambled to his feet at the river's edge. With a sweep of his wand, a wall of fire sprang up between him and the native warriors.

Harry breathed deeply, the Hovitos watched him through the flames. But they weren't looking at him… A loud whoop alerted him to the presence of another warrior, one who had somehow made it past the flames, brandishing a spear.

The flames disappeared as Harry dodged the spear, hitting the warrior in the side of the head with a stunning charm. Harry barely managed to deflect an arrow that would have hit him in the face, and the muddy earth gave way beneath his feet. Harry fell back, into the water.

The freezing water swept him away from the Hovitos. He tried to fight, but the current was too strong. As he was pulled to the bottom of the river, Harry remembered the magical boundary.

He focused on a small clearing outside the remote river outpost Machete Landing, and with a pop muffled by the rushing water, he dissapperated.


	4. Chapter 4: The Ark of the Covenant

Chapter four: the Ark of the Covenant

A week after his escape from the Hovitos, Harry entered the lobby of the Ministry of Magic, via elevator. He could have apparated, but Harry preferred flying and would rather not apperate unless necessary. Though still a tall stone hall, lined by fireplaces where ministry employees arrived by floo powder, gone was the giant statue showing a witch and wizard sitting on a massive throne of suffering muggles with the legend **MAGIC IS MIGHT! **In its place a silver statue of a young witch who stood, head bowed, in front of the black stone wall. Inscribed in the wall were the names of everyone, wizard or muggle, who had lost their lives in the wars against Voldemort.

Harry had often stood in front of it for hours, looking for the names he recognized. There had actually been some controversy whether or not to add Harry's own name to the list. As while Voldemort had indeed killed him, what he had really dispatched was the part of his own soul inside Harry, and Harry had survived.

James Potter

_ Lilly Evans Potter_

_Sirius Black_

_ Cedric Diggory_

_ Regulus Black_

_ Colin Creevey_

_Alaster Moody_

_Fred Weasley_

_ Remus Lupin_

_ Nymphadora Tonks Lupin_

_ Albus Dumbledore_

_ Severus Snape_

_ Dobby_

The list continued, but Harry didn't have time to stop. He had three times told the story of his misadventure to different wizard audiances at the ministry. All of whom told him grimily that he had done his best, which really only managed to make him feel worse. In the end, they had given him the weekend off to 'recover from minor injuries.' Harry had spent the weekend mostly wondering what it was he had lost to Malfoy, and why it was important to the ministry, or, more disturbing, why it was important to the Death Eaters.

Harry left the elevator on the second floor, and proceeded to his desk, which was near the end of the row. On one side of him the empty office of a witch who was away chasing a vampire in the states. The cubicle on the other side was currently filled with a slim Asian man whose name was Warren Yen. He had undergone Auror training at the same time as Harry, and the two were the youngest fully trained aurors in Britain.

"Hey, Harry" he said brightly. "Can you believe this? This man's got his thumb in everything, smuggling, drugs, muggle-baiting, mistreating magical creatures. And the Chinese Ministry won't do a thing about it. Probably got 'em all on the payroll."

"Yeah," said Harry, not really listening. "So what's happened."

"Big breakout from Azkaban, never thought I'd say it, but I felt a lot more secure when we had the Dementors, at least we didn't have people walking out three times a month."

Harry toned out Warren as a blue memo landed on his desk. He unfolded it quickly. Under the Ministry logo, a quick note was scrawled:

_Mr. Potter,_

_Come up to level one and see me. I have some things to tell you._

_O. Musgrove _

Harry stuffed the Memo into his pocket and hurried back to the elevator. When he reached level one (the offices of minister for magic and administrative staff) Harry had decided he would be very disappointed if this had nothing to do with the medallion Malfoy had stolen from him.

"I'm here to see Mr. Musgrove" he told the blonde witch sitting behind the desk, she seemed much more interested in chewing gum until her eyes focused on his scar. Harry felt a flash of annoyance.

"Down the hall, third door on the right," she told him, and her eyes followed him until he was out sight.

Harry found himself in a wood paneled conference room with a long table of dark wood. A small man with neat gray hair looked up from his briefcase halfway down the table.

"Come in, come in," he said, his voice sounded much to deep for his body, "I am Oswald Musgrove and I daresay I know who you are Mr. Potter."

Harry sat across from Musgrove. "I believe," began the shorter wizard, "that one of your latest assignments resulted in your humiliation at the hands of Draco Malfoy?"

"Er, you could say that…I suppose…"

"Well yes, we recently intercepted an owl carrying this letter, it was coded, of course, but we've taken the liberty of deciphering it. I think you may find it interesting." Musgrove removed a single piece of parchment from his briefcase and handed it to Harry. It read:

_Draco_

_ I have arrived in Cairo; we have discovered the location of Tanis and have begun excavating. We need the headpiece and its sister before we can proceed. Come as soon as possible, but bring the headpiece or your life will mean nothing. _

_ H.D._

Harry read the letter twice. "Interesting, isn't it," said Musgrove. Harry simply nodded.

"We believe," said Musgrove, taking another item from his briefcase. "That Draco Malfoy is working with, or rather for, this man."

Musgrove slid the paper across the table to Harry. It was a Daily Prophet, dated two weeks previously. The headline read simply **AZKABAN BREAKOUT. **

There was a single picture. In black and white, it moved, like all wizarding photographs. It was of thin-faced man, somewhere in his sixties; unlike many Azkaban prisoners, he looked perfectly healthy. The man's most striking feature was his cool dark gray eyes. They seemed to draw Harry in, and he had to tear his gaze away to read what was written beneath.

** Last night at approximately 11:00 p.m., there was a mass breakout at Azkaban, greater than any since the second war. Three aurors were killed in the escape, where twenty-one convicts fought their way to freedom. Half of these men were former Death Eaters; the rest simply criminals who followed the dark wizards out. **

** Without a doubt the worst news, they were lead by a man named Hernon Dietrich. Dietrich was one of You-Know-Who's most zealous supporters during both wars, second only to the late Bellatrix Lestrange. **

** We warn the wizarding populace to report any sightings of Dietrich to the Ministry of Magic. Dietrich is a known murderer and must be avoided at all costs. Do not approach!**

That was when Harry stopped reading. "So you think that this Dietrich bloke, who I've never heard of, by the way, is being helped by Malfoy."

"Yes, precisely. But there's more."  
>"You mean Tanis."<p>

"Indeed. The lost city of Tanis is one of the most likely resting places of the Ark of the Covenant."

"The what?"

"The Ark of the Covenant. Sometimes known as the Lost Ark, due to its currant status."

"Wait, do you mean The Ark of the Covenant. The one the people carried the Ten Commandments around in."

"The very same. Legend says that the Egyptian Pharaoh Shishak from the temple of Solomon stole the Ark in 980 BC. The Pharaoh took the Ark back to the city of Tanis and hid it in a secret chamber called the Well of Souls.

"However, a year after his return, the city of Tanis was swallowed up by the desert. Destroyed by the wrath of God."

"Why did he want the medallion. Though?" asked Harry, voicing the first question he could think of.

"The medallion we sent you to retrieve was one of the two headpieces of the Staff of Ra."

"The Staff of Ra?"

"Yes, there exists a room in Tanis where when the Staff of Ra is placed there, the setting sun touches it and pinpoints the location of the Well of Souls. The instructions were split between the two headpieces. The first, the one you lost to Malfoy, shared the location of the 'Map room' as it is sometimes called. The second the specifications on the staff itself."

"And where's that one?"

"In Asia, near the Himalayas. Our agent sent to recover that piece found that it had been removed. However, a contact of ours has set up a deal with a man who claims to have the real headpiece. You will meet him in a tavern in Nepal. The Raven, I believe it's called."

"Er, no offense, but why send me. After Peru…"

"Well, honestly, the man refuses to work with anyone else, he will only give the headpiece to you."

"Okay, when do I leave?"

"Today. Your meeting has been arranged for tonight. We have a portkey waiting to take you to Nepal."

"Great" Harry stood, then he thought of another question.

"Why does Dietrich want the Ark? I mean. It's got to be valuable but why should he care about some old relic."

Musgrove sighed, "I was afraid you would ask that. Here." Musgrove unfolded another piece of parchment and handed it to Harry. It was the replica of a painting. In the painting, two armies, wielding swords and similar ancient weapons, charged at each other across a sandy plain. At the head of the smaller army, four men carried a box, holding it by long wooden poles hooked though it. The box was made of gold. The sides engraved with letters as well as pictures. Two carved angels knelt on the lid of the box. More importantly, from the open part of the box, swirling mist rose into the clouds, from the clouds flashes of lightning and flame impacted the opposing army. Wherever they hit, there were images of pain and carnage.

"What…"

"Harry, the army, any army, with the Ark at its head…is invincible."


	5. Chapter 5: The Raven

Chapter five: the Raven

"We want you," said Musgrove. "To retrieve the Ark of the Covenant before Dietrich and his men."

"And how am I suppose to do that?"

"You'll think of something. You always do. Oh, I'm forgetting something." Musgrove rummaged in his briefcase once more. He pulled out a small bag and two stacks of paper and handed them to Harry.

"Fortunately for you, the ministry is financing this assignment." Harry found that the bag was filled with Galleons, the paper was muggle money, hundreds and fifties.

"We won't be able to get you to Egypt once you have the headpiece. We think it might be a good idea to use muggle transportation. We've set up a trace on all wizarding transport in and out of Egypt, and as this mission is of the highest confidentiality, it would be best to arrive, urm, under the radar. Not only that but we, er, haven't been in the best of terms with the Egyptian ministry, and we suspect that they might take this the wrong way."

"Yeah, alright," said Harry, heading to the door. "I guess I'll go and pack then."

"Yes do. Oh, and Mr. Potter,"

"Yes . . . " Harry looked back as he reached the door.

"Remember, if Dietrich gets hold of the Ark it'll be You-Know-Who all over again, maybe worse. Just keep that in mind."

Harry returned to his small apartment a few blocks down from the Ministry offices. He packed a single suitcase, not really knowing what to take. A change of clothes, both muggle and wizard robes. His invisibility cloak. A quill and parchment, hopefully he would be able to find an owl, and a few other objects of sentimental value:

A shard of the mirror Sirius had given him when he was fifteen, and a few photographs, one of his parents, one of the Order of the Phoenix members, and the third, taken a day or two after the Battle of Hogwarts, of the surviving members of the D.A. Harry himself stood front and center, on one side of him his friends Ron and Hermione, they were holding hands. Though Harry hadn't seen them for a few months, they both wrote often. Ron was helping to manage the joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, with his surviving twin brother, George. Hermione was currently still undergoing Auror training, she had started later as she had opted to remain at Hogwarts to complete her N.E.W.T.s (nastily exhausting wizarding levels). On his left, Ginny stood, smiling, more at the photographic Harry than at the camera. For approximately the fourth time that day, Harry wondered where she was; she had been gone for the last two years. Next to Ginny stood Luna Lovegood, looking around with her usual airy absent-minded expression; Harry had no idea where she had gone after Hogwarts. Behind Luna, stood Neville Longbottom, one of the tallest in the picture, the last Harry had heard from him he had accepted a position in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Though they had been the six main D.A. members, Harry recognized many of the others: Dennis Creevey and George Weasley, both of whom had lost a brother in the recent battle; Cho Chang, who Harry had had a crush on during much of his fourth and fifth years; most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and several others.

At least, Harry thought, the Battle of Hogwarts had been wizard against wizard, if the picture was at all accurate, there was no chance against the Ark. That was when it really clicked for Harry, if he didn't get to the Ark before Dietrich, it would be the Battle of Hogwarts all over again. More people dead, more families ruined. That was when Harry realized how much he wanted to find the Ark, to snatch it from under Dietritch's nose.

And if he managed to wipe that smirk of Malfoy's face in the process, well, that would be even better.

"You'll come out on the outskirts of Patan," said Musgrove, when Harry arrived once again in the mostly empty council chamber. "The Raven shouldn't be too difficult to for you too find. Our contact with the headpiece will wait for three hours. He claims that you'll recognize him. Oh and you might want to put on your coat, its not summer over there

"Here's the portkey, it'll deactivate after one journey, so don't count on a return trip." Musgrove pointed at a large gray rock sitting on the hardwood floor.

"Oh, and Harry," it was the first time Musgrove had used Harry's first name, "be careful. But, if the situation seems…"

"Protecting the Ark is more important than my life."

Musgrove nodded sheepishly.

"Alright, I'll see you soon, with the Ark," Harry said. It looked as if Musgrove could tell he wasn't as confident as he had tried to sound.

Taking a deep breath, Harry took hold of the rock. He felt the familiar jerking in his navel and the world faded into black. Harry had a hard time keeping a grip on the rock, and the blackness seemed to last much longer than usual, at least ten seconds, Harry guessed that that had to do with how far away the destination was.

Then it was over. The rock fell from his grip as Harry found himself face down in several inches of snow. He scrambled to his feet, wishing he had put his coat on before leaving. Instead, he brushed himself off and opened his small suitcase, taking out his coat, which was much thinner than seemed appropriate. He stuffed his pockets with half of the money, both wizard and muggle.

Harry took his first real look around. It was night in Nepal, and it was snowing, though not heavily. The Himalayas stretched up around him seeming to block out the sky. Below him, a small city was lit up against the darkness; Harry could make out the headlights of cars, moving slowly due to visibility.

Harry was about to begin walking down to Patan, when he saw it. A ramshackle building built into the hillside, about a mile away. The smoke leaking into the sky from a lopsided chimney indicated that their was a fireplace inside, and a fireplace was sounding increasingly more inviting than the several miles of snowy tundra to Patan. Harry guessed that the people of Ministry might have misjudged to coordinates slightly.

Harry trudged through the snow to the building, which appeared even more derelict than it had from afar. What made Harry the happiest however, was the hanging sign outside the door. It had poor drawing of a black bird that looked like a crow, below that the name The Raven, written in both English and Nepalese.

He entered the Raven, and was even more pleased to see that it appeared to be an establishment intended for wizards. Of the dozen or so patrons, most were obviously wizards, Harry was pleasantly reminded of The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, however, truthfully, The Raven was a great deal closer to The Hog's Head. And while many of the chairs and tables were broken, and the ceiling looked suspiciously unstable, the roaring fireplace connected to the chimney Harry had seen earlier did a great deal to brighten up the place.

"Oiy, Harry. Over here," a small wizard in a black cloak waved Harry over to his table. At the mention of the name 'Harry' most of the tavern's occupants looked up at him and stared at his forehead for a few moments before going back to their drinks.

It took Harry a moment to recognize the wizard, only after he pulled up a chair did he speak. "Dung?"

Mundungus Fletcher laughed. "Auror now, are ye Harry? Congratulations, mate. Hey! Get my friend a firewhisky" Mundungus shouted at the bartender, who grunted and rummaged behind the counter.

"Thanks," Harry grinned, though he hadn't forgotten how Mundungus had stolen many of his inherited possessions, as well as disapparating while he was impersonating Harry, leading the death of 'Mad-eye' Moody, it still felt good to see the former Order member.

"So, you have a headpiece for me."

"Yep, it's not cheap though…"

Not at all surprised, Harry rummaged his pockets and removed the bag of galleons. "Here, I'm sorry I haven't had time to count it." The bartender slammed a glass down next to him. Harry glanced at it and remembered that while he appreciated the gesture, he still preferred butterbeer.

Mundungus rummaged through the bag, his expression unreadable. "Yep, not 's much as I was hoping, but it'll do. Twice what your bosses agreed to pay me." The short wizard felt around in one of his pockets and pulled out a cloth bag. Not unlike the one Harry had just given to him, but a great deal dirtier.

Harry opened it and took out the second headpiece of the Staff of Ra. It was mostly identical to the first, but, though Harry had not studied Arithmancy, he could tell that the runes around the center ruby were different. Harry found himself missing Hermione a great deal.

"I just got one question though," whispered Mundungus, looking around to see if anyone else was listening. "Why do you want it?"

"Well, I can't exactly…"

Mundungus laughed again. "Jus' kidding. I know enough to keep away from Egypt. See you around Harry." Mundungus slid past him and left the building; Harry heard a faint pop as he dissapperated near the entrance.

Harry looked around the bar. He saw a very muscular Sherpa leaving, followed by a few others. Harry glanced at the fireplace, and noticed for the first time the small table it cast into flickering shadows. The table had one occupant, a tall young woman with long red hair and brown. One Harry had been thinking about earlier that day, her head was bowed over her glass and it seemed she hadn't yet recognized him.

"Ginny?"


	6. Chapter 6: Arnold Toht

Chapter six: Arnold Toht

Harry had a sudden realization that he was sitting at the wrong table. Standing up, he downed his firewhisky, and immediately remembered why he had not yet tasted it. While not altogether unpleasant, firewhisky was a drink to be chugged.

Trying not to cough, Harry crossed the room to sit across from Ginny. "Urm, hey" he said.

Ginny looked up and her eyes widened. "Well, I haven't seen you in a while. Heard you were an Auror, something in the prophet, it's usually late around here though, when it gets here at all."

"How did you get to Patan?" Harry had often imagined where Ginny might have been, a ramshackle tavern in Nepal had not been considered.

"Okay," Ginny sighed, once again looking into her glass. "I dunno, after the Battle of Hogwarts… Well, I just needed to get out of there. I mean, You-Know-Who was dead, but so were Lupin and Moody, and a bunch of people who should have been able to have a life. Even you died, you just got better.

"I barely saw you after, my family was busy with Fred's funeral, I never thought he'd die, he was just so…there. Anyway, once I came of age, I left home for a bit. Mum didn't like it, but its not like she could stop me."

"Where did you go?"

"Around. I stayed at Bill and Fluer's a bit, went to Ireland. I'd always wanted to go to Japan. I made it here before I ran out of money. I mean, I got a job down in the city. Makes enough to eat but not enough to get me anywhere. Been here for five months. You?"

Harry suddenly felt very conscious of the large packet of muggle money in his pocket. "Er, not much. Became an auror, I guess."

"Why are you in Nepal, though?"

"You know, that is really a good question. It's…"

"Confidential."

"Yes."

"Right, well, nice seeing you. I really should get back down…" Ginny stood; Harry realized that while they had been talking the bar had emptied around them. Even the bartender had left.

"Greetings, Mr. Potter." A man stepped out of the shadows, in front of Ginny. He was shorter than her, his skin very pale. He had a round; babyish face and his eyes were covered by round, red-tinged glasses. He wore a dark suit under a long black trench coat with matching fedora.

Behind him came three others. A tall man with a black mustache dressed the same way, a Nepalese and a Mongolian.

"My name is Arnold Toht," continued the short man. His voice was very soft and Harry had to strain to hear him. "I doubt you have heard of me, while I certainly have heard of you."

The Mongolian wizard grabbed Ginny, holding her arms behind her back. She struggled unsuccessfully, unable to reach her wand. Harry stood, groping for his wand, but both the Nepalese and the man with the mustache pointed their own wands at him.

"As a Sherpa I met recently made known to me," Toht continued, slowly advancing on Harry. "You just acquired a certain object which my employer would like to posses. I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

"I doubt it," said Harry. "It might help if you let her go."

"Oh, no. That would not help in the slightest." Toht carefully withdrew a long poker metal poker from the fireplace, its tip glowing with heat.

"I suppose" he said, with a small laugh, "That this is the sort of thing the Cruciatus curse was invented for. While it certainly has its uses…" Harry suddenly felt very sick as he realized what Toht was about to do. The diminutive wizard slowly strode back toward Ginny, who had stopped struggling and was now watching eyes wide. "I've found it lacks certain…satisfaction."

Toht now held the tip of the pocker tip an inch from Ginny's left eye. "I can see," he continued, taking on a tone that made it sound as if he was discussing the weather. "That what I am about to do will be extremely painful, not to mention permanent. A shame to ruin such a pretty face, is it not, Mr. Potter."

Harry took the headpiece from his pocket. He knew that in Musgrove's opinion, Ginny's life was nothing compared to the importance of keeping the headpiece out of the Death Eater's hand's, but just the fact that it was Ginny made that seem a lot less important.

The Nepalese stepped forward and took the headpiece from Harry's grasp. He lifted it into the air for Toht to see, saying something in his native language. Toht nodded once, and raised the poker.

"Wait, I gave you the headpiece," said Harry, "let her go."

"Why, Mr. Potter," Toht's eyes widened in mock surprise, "Whatever made you believe that was part of our deal." That said, he drew back his arm, preparing to drive the metal through the girl's head.

He never made it.

_"Flipendo!" _the force of Harry's spell sent Toht flying off his feet and into the bar. The poker flew from his grasp to embed itself in the wooden wall, which began to darken under its heat, smoke curling upward.

Harry dove into the small alcove between the wall and the fireplace. Both the Nepalese and the man with the mustache reacted quickly, their spells shattering the bricks above the auror.

Ginny threw her head backward, hitting Mongolian in the chin. He swore in his native tongue as he released his grip. Ginny turned and drove her fist into his stomach.

She reached for her wand, but didn't make it. The Mongolian threw himself forward, punching her across the face. Ginny was literally lifted of her feet, slamming into the wooden floor, blood streaming from her nose.

Harry managed to shoot two jinxes at his attackers, neither connected. Toht had joined the fray, his wand out as he joined the others. The fireplace was so demolished that Harry doubted he would be able to hide behind it any longer.

Wishing himself luck, Harry darted from his hiding place, running across the room. His stunning spell hit the Nepalese, who fell backward, immobilized. The headpiece fell from his grip to slide across the floor.

Ginny saw the headpiece come to rest under a chair. She glanced upward to see that the men were greatly ignoring her, the Mongolian had joined the others in hurling spells across the room. Slowly, as to not attract attention, Ginny began to crawl toward it.

Jets of multicolored light exploded against Harry's shield charm. Keeping it up, he grabbed a stool from the floor and threw it, hitting the Mongolian, who fell backward into bar. As the thug slid to the floor, bottles of butterbeer and stronger drinks shattered around him.

Harry had reached the doorway; he ducked behind the doorframe, hitting the mustached man with a jinx that had him kneeling on the ground, large green slugs poring from his mouth.

Strong hands grabbed Harry's shoulders, lifting it up to slam him into the wall. Harry recognized the Sherpa who he had seen leaving the bar earlier, the large man now had a blank look in his eyes, a victim of the Imperious curse.

Toht saw Ginny reach the headpiece and bolted across the room toward her. Seeing him coming, she turned and threw the headpiece into the fireplace. Ginny pointed her wand at Toht, but it was torn from her grip as Toht shouted _"Expelliarmus!" _

The Sherpa slammed Harry into a nearby table. One arm holding Harry's throat, the other his wrist so he couldn't use his wand. Harry grabbed the man's face with his free hand but it did nothing to loosen the Sherpa's vice-like grip.

Over the Sherpa's shoulder, Harry saw the mustached Death Eater raise his wand. Before the man could utter the killing curse, Harry twisted sideways, so his wand pointed at the man. His nonverbal spell lifted the Death Eater off his feet to slam into the wall, unconscious.

Hissing in anger, Toht drove his boot into Ginny's stomach and, stepping over the groaning young woman, he shouted, _"Accio headpiece!" _

The headpiece of the Staff of Ra flew from the fireplace into Toht's waiting grip. The man screamed, his eyes wide, smoke curling from his closed fist. Still screaming, he dropped the burning hot headpiece and dove out the window. Ginny held her sleeve to her nose, trying to staunch the flow of blood, as she heard the faint pop of him disappearing.

By squirting a stream of soapy water into the Sherpa's eyes from the tip of his wand, Harry was able to break free from the larger man's grip. Growling in anger, the Sherpa lashed out, Harry spun as the man's fist hit him in the jaw. His wand went skidding across the floor and his glasses, which had managed to survive the battle so far, broke in two.

Holding his glasses to his face, Harry dodged as the Sherpa swung a second time. This time the Sherpa's arm went up to the elbow in the roaring fireplace. He screamed in pain, stumbling backward, he knocked several burning logs out onto the wooden floor, which promptly burst into flames to form a roaring fire, rivaling that which had sprung from the poker, stuck in the wall.

Howling, the Sherpa swung again, his arm burning. Harry ducked, but he felt the heat singe his hair. Harry grabbed a chair, one of the few that had not yet caught fire. He rammed into the Sherpa's chest; the larger man stumbled backward.

Harry followed it up by kicking the Sherpa in both shins and knees in rapid succession. This was enough to level the giant, who fell the floor…the floor soaked in alcohol. There was one last scream and a whoosh of flame.

Wincing at the thought of what he had just done, Harry turned, looking for his wand. He saw it a few feet away, and then he saw the Mongolian. The last Death Eater standing stood still, his wand pointed at Harry's face. Glancing about, the Mongolian gave Harry an acknowledging nod.

_"Avada-"_

_ "Petrificus Totalus!"_

The Mongolian fell to the ground, stiff as a board. Behind him stood Ginny Weasley, holding her wand. Harry smiled, and quickly bent to retrieve his wand. Ginny grabbed the headpiece, remembering Toht's mistake; she used a dirty rag she had found behind the bar to pick it up. Then together, the two sprinted out the door, darting around the crackling fire.

When they were a comfortable distance away, Harry looked back to see The Raven collapse into a bonfire of wood and bricks.

"Well, Harry Potter." Ginny slapped him across the face. Hard. "You sure know how to show a girl a good time! We used to have to seek it out, but now famous Harry Potter can't walk into a bar without getting us all killed by some new Death Eater nutter!" Harry had a distant realization that she was a great deal prettier when not covered in blood.

"I suppose you do this sort of thing everyday now!"

"Well, not every…" Harry tapped his glasses with his wand, repairing them.

"Look, I'm through. I don't want to spend my whole life getting beat up by-"

"Look, Ginny. The Death Eaters are rising again. They've got a new leader, and if they find what they're searching for…"

"A weapon?"

"Not exactly. It's…well…it's the Ark of the Covenant."

Ginny swore. "The Ark of the Covenant, bloody likely. That's supposed to be a myth."

"The Chamber of Secrets was a myth, remember. That didn't stop you from opening it, did it?"

Ginny opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. Harry could see he had struck a nerve.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was just supposed to buy the headpiece of Mundungus, I didn't know it was going to turn out like the Department of Mysteries." Harry dug in his pocket. He grabbed Ginny's hand, and placed a stack of muggle money in it, curling her fingers around it.

"This is enough to get you to England. Take it. I'll see you around, or maybe not." Harry turned to leave. Than he realized he was forgetting something.

"Can I have the headpiece back, it's important."

"I sort of figured that out, we usually don't get killed for things that aren't important."

"Yeah, well, it is. Can I have it back?"

"On one condition."

"Which is?"

"You take me with you."

"Sure, fine whatever. The headpiece." Ginny tossed him the headpiece, which had cooled down enough to be held, as well as the packet of muggle money.

"So where are we going, exactly."

"Egypt."

"Cairo?"

"Why not."

Ginny walked to Harry and took his arm. They disappeared with faint pop.


	7. Chapter 7: A Warm Welcome

Chapter seven: a warm welcome.

They arrived midmorning. One, a young man with messy dark hair, green eyes, glasses, and a distinct lighting shaped scar on his forehead. He perfectly matched the description the man had been given.

He had not been told about the second, a tall, slim woman with long red hair. But that didn't matter in the slightest. She would simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The two British wizards had arrived at the Cairo international airport two hours previously. Dietrich had told him they might use muggle transportation, so this did nothing to surprise him. They had now stopped in a busy square, near the airport. They were sitting together at a café, looking out on the crowds of people moving about, encircling the large fountain in the square's center.

The man turned from the window, he had been observing the couple for the last half-hour and seen nothing that jeopardized their mission. Sitting around a large table in the room's center was a dozen or so men. They all wore long dark cloaks.

"Target sighted," said the man. He wore a white suit and his name was Eric Goler. He spoke with a light German accent. "Kill the man, you may take the woman alive, but only if it is convenient. Dispatch any muggles who get in your way.

The men nodded and, as one, stood. They filed out of the room, pulling their hoods and masks over their faces.

Goler looked back out at the couple. It appeared they were waiting for someone. A shame they would never meet them.

Before leaving for the airport, they had stopped at Ginny's small apartment in Patan. While Ginny showered, getting the worst of the blood of her face, and packed a small suitcase, Harry had sent an owl ahead to Egypt.

The flight had been uneventful. Ginny had been fascinated by the plane, airport, and other muggle technology, but still talked to Harry as little as possible.

She sat across from him now. Like Harry, she had changed into muggle clothing, jeans and a dark red T-shirt. They had been waiting at the café for over half an hour. Admittedly, they still had another quarter of an hour before they were scheduled to meet Harry's contact.

Harry had ordered drinks simply because it would draw attention if he hadn't, but he still hadn't touched his. Instead he kept glancing at the, now bent and creased, letter in his hand.

_Harry_

_ You're right. Dietrich had hired me, but it's nothing personal. He's hired every digger and archeologist in Cairo; I suspect most of them are under the imperious curse, now that I think of it. Tanis is a tight excavation, but I should be able to get you inside._

_ I'm glad you found Ginny, we've been wondering where she got to. It'll be good to see the two of you again. Me or Fleur will meet you at the fountain of the centaur at noon._

_ Bill_

Harry looked up from his letter as a native man was thrown past him to collide with a nearby table. Somebody screamed. There were more flashes of light, green light, dead muggles collapsing to the dusty ground. Harry saw them striding across the square toward him and Ginny, who was already reaching for her wand. Three men dressed in long black robes, their faces completely hidden behind black cloth masks.

Death Eaters.

Harry threw himself away as his table exploded in a blast of blue flames. He saw Ginny sprinting toward the Death Eaters, wand out. She had already hit one of them with a curse that had splayed on his back, writhing. Harry couldn't tell quite what it had done to him, as the Death Eater's face was still covered.

A spell sped over Ginny's head, shattering a shop front behind her. Getting to his feet, Harry sent off a stunning spell, hitting on of the Death Eaters. The third focused on Harry. Harry dodged as the pavement beside him ruptured, a sliver of concrete cutting his cheek.

It occurred to Harry that if this had happened in London, the Ministry would be dealing out several hundred mind wipes, it was likely that the Egyptian ministry would want to do something along those lines. Harry decided it would be best to end this battle as quickly as possible and be long gone by the time the Egyptian aurors arrived.

Harry counterattacked with two spells of his own, neither of which connected. The Death Eater, however, had made a mistake in shifting his attention from Ginny. She slammed into him, ramming him with her shoulder. The Death Eater fell backward into the fountain, where Ginny stunned him.

Harry ran to her. Ginny stood still, breathing heavily, but unharmed. "This is why I left England." She sighed

"We need to get out of here. There's probably more."

"But Bill…"

"We'll find him." Harry grabbed Ginny's arm and, pulling her behind him, sprinted down a narrow street.

Merchants and tourists alike stared at them, while quickly ducking back into doorways and shadowy stalls. Harry heard one of them distinctly mutter, "Americans."

With a series of loud pops, Death Eaters appeared all around them. Harry ducked as multicolored spells soared over his head. He counted six; there were probably more hiding around the-

A seventh Death Eater nailed Harry in the back with a spell. He was knocked off his feet, skinning his elbows. He rolled beneath a rusted automobile, conveniently parked nearby.

He saw Ginny turn to face the way they had come; she had dispatched five Death Eaters, lying at her feet. The few still standing scrambled away, ducking into cover where they could have a view of the upcoming confrontation.

A single Death Eater strode down the street, his metallic mask emotionless. By the way his fellows had darted away, Harry got the expression that this was a man to be feared, even by his own kind.

The single Death Eater made a small, downward motion with his wand, saying nothing. Ginny screamed, blood spurting from long cut that had appeared across her chest, as if she had sliced by an invisible sword. This spell seemed vaguely familiar to Harry, but he didn't stop to think about it.

As Harry rolled from his hiding place he saw Ginny stumble down a nearby alley, clutching her wound. A lone Death Eater slipped from his hiding place to follow her.

Harry had every intention of continuing after them, but instead he found himself faced with the single Death Eater who had wounded Ginny. The Death Eater gave a slight bow, and stepped backward, raising his wand in flawless dueling position.

_I don't have time for this_, Harry thought, raising his wand.

_"Expelliarmus!" _the Death Eater was thrown backward from the force of the spell, slamming into a wall. His wand clattered to ground a few yards away from him, snapped cleanly in two. 

Ignoring the gasps of the watching Death Eaters, Harry sprinted down the alley after Ginny.

Ginny coughed, tasting her own blood. The slash hurt more than she would care to admit it probably didn't help that she was trying to run. A jet of red light hit the wall of the alley, making a small crater.

Ginny ducked into a nearby doorway, readying her wand for when the Death Eater followed her. She was in a dimly lit room, toward the rear of a factory. The room was filled with baskets. Several hundred identical white wicker baskets. Large enough to fit here comfortably…

Ginny was about to climb into one of the baskets, when the Death Eater turned into the room. She raised her wand, but not fast enough.

_"Stupefy!"_

_So that's what it feels like, _Ginny thought as she fell backward, her wand slipping from her grip, immobilized.

Harry ran down the alleyway, ignoring the two Death Eaters following him. They were much more reluctant than before, after seeing what Harry had done to the last one to start a duel with him. This suited Harry fine.

He rounded the doorway in time to find the Death Eater who had stunned Ginny speaking quickly to two men who, while wearing dark colors, were not in the long black masked costumes of Death Eaters.

Harry saw a string of red hair hanging from beneath the basket's lid, as the two men quickly ducked through a curtain and out of the storage room. The Death Eater turned to face Harry brandishing his wand, but Harry was ready.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

Harry threw himself to the ground as one of the Death Eaters behind him attempted the killing curse. The jet of green light flew over Harry's head to hit the Death Eater opposite, who crumpled to the floor, stone dead.

_Levicorpus_, Harry thought. The Death Eater who had just killed his comrade was lifted into the air, held from his ankle by some invisible force.

Darting around his hanging comrade, the last Death Eater slashed at Harry with the silver knife he held in his left hand, cutting across Harry's arm. Harry darted backward, and the Death Eater's next swipe only finished off several of the surrounding baskets.

Harry's jinx hit the Death Eater straight on. The man doubled over in pain as his front teeth began to grow to tremendous proportions, tearing through his mask. Harry ran past him and sprinted down the alley. As an afterthought he whispered _"Liberacorpus" _pointing his wand back over his shoulder. He smiled grimly as he heard the loud clunk of a Death Eater falling on his head.

Harry turned the corner to find himself at a loading dock. One of the men who had taken the basket with Ginny inside was climbing into the passenger seat of a small delivery truck. The other man, in the driver's seat, gunned the engine. The truck roared forward, directly at Harry.

The man in the passenger's seat leaned out the window, shooting curses toward Harry, who ducked back around the corner as the stone wall around him shattered.

_"Stupefy!" _Harry yelled, jumping from behind the wall. His spell hit the man in the passenger's seat, who slumped, dropping his wand out the window.

The truck swerved trying to run Harry over; Harry dodged to the side, leveling his wand once again.

_"Petrificus Totalus"_ Harry shouted, hitting the driver. But as the man stiffened, his foot pressed down on the accelerator even harder. Harry could only watch as the truck speed past him to collide head on with a stone wall, crumpling on impact and swiftly consumed in a ball of flame as the engine ignited.

There was no doubt that the two men were dead. Nobody could have survived that crash.

_Nobody._


	8. Chapter 8: A Drink Among Friends

Chapter eight: a drink among friends

Harry slowly walked away from burning wreckage. His arm was still bleeding, but he couldn't feel the wound. He was sure that the authorities would be here soon, both wizard and non-magical, and he had no desire to meet them. Hopefully the bodies in Death Eater clothing would tell them all they needed to know. Harry knew at least three Death Eaters had been killed, he wasn't so sure about the rest. He didn't really care.

Harry joined the crowd of tourists and native Egyptians hurrying away from the scene of the battle. He realized it might have been a good idea to head back to the square, but he didn't feel like talking to anyone, especially not another Weasley.

"Potter," a voice whispered in his ear.

"Who wants to know?"

"None of your business, you're coming with us, Potter." Harry felt the tip of a wand pressed into his back, so he decided not to argue. Looking back he saw two men, dressed the same way as the men in truck. The ones who had died with Ginny.

Harry was lead across the street, surrounded by muggles who had no idea about the wizards walking among them. Two men who would be very willing to kill each and every one of them, who only refrained because they had been ordered otherwise. No idea that if Dietrich discovered the Well of Souls, the whole world would fall.

Harry found that, just a little bit, he envied them.

Harry was taken to a small seedy establishment called the Marhala Bar, according to the name painted over the door. Inside, cigarette curled around a low ceiling fan that did nothing to dispel the heat. Harry thought that as pubs went, The Raven had been much nicer.

A few Arabs sat out on lopsided chairs and in booths which had the cushions torn off. More than half the bar's occupants were men wearing the same dark clothing as the two escorting Harry.

Harry was led to the table at the far corner of the room. He sat, as his two guides fell back into the shadows to join their fellows.

Sitting across from Harry, was Draco Malfoy. Malfoy wore a white tailored suit and matching fedora, which went oddly well with his pale complexion. Before him was a glass of amber colored liquid. It hadn't been touched.

"Well, Potter. It certainly seems that people who follow you end up dead, doesn't it. Let's see: Sirius Black, who wouldn't have died had you not lead him to the Department of Mysteries, Cedric Diggory, who wouldn't not have died had you not taken him with you with the portkey."

"It's you that kills them."

"Me? Don't you remember, I had old Dumbledore at my mercy and didn't act quickly enough."

"Well, people like you."

"I didn't drag the blood traitor into this, did I. The men were only following orders, which are more than I can say for you. Even at Hogwarts you, what did Snape say, 'considered the rules beneath you'."

"I'm not surprised you're sucking up to Dietrich. Just like Voldemort," Malfoy winced as Harry uttered the name; "You just want a little bit of power, what's left over, because you're too weak to get it yourself." Harry felt anger bubbling from inside him. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Malfoy's face.

"That's not a good idea. Even if you manage to curse me, you'll be dead before you can even see what you did." Malfoy raised a palm to halt the men hiding in the shadows. "They won't care if we kill you," Malfoy nodded at the drunken Arabs sitting around them, "probably write it of as one more hallucination, filthy muggles."

Harry slowly put his wand back in his pocket. "Always have somebody around to do your dirty work, don't you Malfoy."

Malfoy ignored him and continued. "Yes, I admit it, I do want the power, but not in the way you might think.

"Dietrich believes the Ark to be a weapon. He's wrong. It's not just a weapon; it's a transmitter. A device for speaking to God."

"If you want to speak to God so much, I'm sure I could help."

Malfoy smiled. "You know, Potter, it's been fun. I'll miss you." He snapped his fingers. The men in the shadows stepped out, encircling Harry, their wands pointed at his head.

While Harry had survived the killing curse before, he doubted he could now. There was no more of Voldemort's soul to get in the way, nor a mother to die for him. He wondered briefly if Ginny counted, but thinking about that was just painful, not to mention unlikely, as her death had not been self-sacrificing.

Harry closed his eyes. He heard Malfoy say, "Goodbye Harry Potter." Than he heard something else, something unexpected.

"'Arry!" Harry opened his eyes to see a tall, slim, and very pretty woman with long blond hair, coming across the bar toward him. Fleur Delaclour, or rather, as he reminded himself, Fleur Weasley.

Reaching him, she stepped past the men with the wands and pulled Harry to his feet, kissing him on both cheeks, as was her usual French greeting.

"Ve 'ave been looking for you, everywhere. Bill has been very vorried." And putting her arm around his shoulders, she walked him out of the bar, leaving Malfoy and his men staring helplessly after them.

Once they were far away from the bar, Fleur took her arm from Harry's shoulders and quickened her pace. "Vhen ve got to the square, you were gone. Ve saw the bodies. Death Eaters and muggles, vhat happened."

"Er, we got attacked. We fought them off pretty good I think, but Dietrich knows I'm in Egypt." Fleur nodded grimily.

Bill Weasley heavily scarred and grinning at the sight of Harry, came out of a side street toward him.

"Harry!" he exclaimed, pounding Harry on the back. "Good to see you. Where was he?"

"'Aving a drink vith some friends."

"Well, what matter's is you're still alive. When we saw the Death Eaters…Wait a minute, where's Ginny."

"Ginny's dead," said Harry bluntly, feeling as he said it like he was driving the last nail into her coffin.


	9. Chapter 9: The Headpiece

Chapter Nine: the headpiece

When Albus Dumbledore had died, Harry had no disbelief, as he had with Sirius. He had known that Dumbledore was really gone. He had felt it. Harry had just felt empty.

He felt that way now. In some ways it was worse. Dumbledore had been a friend and a mentor, so had Sirius. So had Ginny, he supposed, though she certainly hadn't been showing it, but still, she was different…

The walk back to Bill and Fluer's house was silent and, especially compared to recent events, uneventful, other than Fleur using her wand to heal the cuts of Harry's arm and cheek.

When they reached the small house, Bill and Fleur had moved there after the end of the second war, when Gringotts had rehired them both, Bill pointed Harry to the single guest's bedroom.

There, Harry washed and changed into jeans and light long-sleeved shirt, not sure what to do with his torn and bloody clothes, he simply left them on the floor.

He collapsed onto the bed, lying on his back. Harry wasn't at all tired, even though he was exhausted. Absentmindedly, he picked of the second headpiece. Holding it up above his head, the sun through the small window focused through the ruby, creating a small red dot of light on the wall. It really was, Harry realized, an impressive piece of craftsmanship.

Ginny was gone, Harry decided he would just have to stop thinking about her. The best thing to do now would be to find the Ark, and stop Dietrich. Most likely in that order.

Harry got up and went downstairs. Bill and Fleur were sitting at the table, eating in silence. Harry sat down across from Bill. There was a place laid out for him, but he wasn't at all hungry. He took the headpiece out of his pocket and laid it on the table.

"I'm so sorry," he said, "I shouldn't have taken her with me."

"What happened exactly?" asked Bill

"Well, it really started a little more than a week ago, I was in South America, the Ministry had sent me to get something from an ancient temple in the forest…"

Harry went on to explain how Malfoy had taken the first headpiece from him. How Musgrove had explained the Ark and Dietrich, though he wasn't sure Musgrove would approve, he told them everything he knew about the Ark. To buying the second headpiece off of Mundungus in Nepal, and meeting Arnold Toht. Then how he and Ginny had been attacked upon arrival, how Ginny had been captured and killed when the truck exploded. Ending with how Fleur had saved him from Malfoy in the bar.

"So, I'm really sorry, more than I can say, but I have to get to Tanis as quickly as possible. Have they started digging yet?"

Bill spoke, "They found the map room. Last night they used a headpiece, like this one, but not goblin-make, a replica. No idea how they got it. Still, they've started us digging in a new location, probably for the Well of Souls. They hadn't found anything when I left, though."

"Let's hope it stays that way." Harry glanced at the headpiece and remembered something about it. "Can either of you read these?" he asked, indicating the runes around the inset ruby.

Bill picked up the headpiece. "This is a very old dialect, I think it says, 'thy staff must be six kadam high, but the man who disturbs the sacred Ark shall be damned'."

"Charming."

"Certainly, anyway; six kadam is about seventy two inches." Bill turned to Fleur, "can you find us a staff that size?" she nodded and left.

Bill turned the headpiece over, realizing there were more runes of the other side. "This part reads 'and take back one kadam to honor the Hebrew God whose Ark this is'.

"The Death Eaters didn't have this on their replica, they only had the one side. That means-"

Harry finished for him; "They're digging in the wrong place."

Harry grinned, forgetting that he wasn't supposed to smile anymore. "We'll go tonight," said Bill, smiling too, which didn't look quite as good on his heavily scarred face, thanks to an encounter with werewolf Death Eater Fenrir Greyback.

"I'll go under the cloak," continued Harry, "We'll be able to get a staff the right length by then. Can you get me to the map room."

"I'll do better. There are some other diggers who don't like working for the Death Eaters either, once you have the location, they'll help you get to the ark."

Harry, still smiling, sat back in his chair and began to eat. He hoped Ginny wouldn't have minded.


	10. Chapter 10: The Map Room

Chapter ten: the map room

When Bill, taking Harry with him, apparated to Tanis, it was an hour till sunset. After he had eaten, Harry had gone back to his room and tried his best to sleep. While he'd failed at that, he did manage to get some much-needed rest. The two had been sent off by Fleur, and Harry, holding the invisibility cloak and the long wooden stick that would serve as the Staff of Ra, had felt his best since he had seen the truck burst into flames.

Harry had been expecting to find himself in the middle of a busy dig site of the type he had seen illustrated in textbooks. Instead, he and Bill were standing at the peak of a long dune of golden sand, which reached their ankles.

"Sorry," said Bill, "It's mile or two long walk from here. The Death Eaters put up an anti-apparation spell around the site. You'd better put on the cloak."

Harry nodded, and draped the invisibility cloak, his favorite Deathly Hallow, over his head, covering him completely. He held the staff and followed Bill, thankful that the long cloak swooshing through the sand hid his tracks.

It was not long before Tanis came into view. A group of tents clustered close together, around them ancient white stone building were protruding from the sands. There were several people around, Arabs, both wizard and muggle, as well as men in dark suits, Harry guessed they were Death Eaters, especially because of they way they intimidated the other wizards into working harder, while not doing any work themselves. Most of the activity was clustered around a single pit; the only place Harry could see people digging. He guessed this was the incorrect location off the Well of Souls. Nearby, was a long strip of hard sandy ground, marked off by white paint on the ground. To Harry, it looked most like a airplane runway, which made no sense, as most pure-blood Death Eaters would have nothing whatsoever to do with something as non-wizard as a plane. A tall wire fence, with only a single entrance, surrounded the whole compound.

Harry followed Bill down to the gap in the fence. The dark-suited man guarding the gate gave Bill a long look and, recognizing him, waved him in, Harry followed, unseen.

"The map room is at the other side of the dig, follow me," Bill whispered. Harry was happy to get a good look around. Though obviously antique, the white stone buildings of Tanis were perfectly preserved, Harry could almost believe they had only been buried the day before.

Harry saw three men standing on one of the roofs, talking in low voices. The man obviously in charge was young, barely older than Harry, with dark hair and equally dark eyes. He wore a long gray coat over his white suit, despite the heat. Harry suspected he was using a cooling spell.

"That's Goler," Bill whispered, nodding toward the young man. "He's Dietrich's second in command, does most of the menial work, hiring workers, ordering people's deaths, that sort of thing." Harry nodded, though Bill couldn't see. He had no idea that earlier that day Goler had ordered his own death.

Bill led him through the camp, past tables where men sitting outside eating, as well as playing gobstones, cards and wizard chess. Harry knew that though they would kill him without a second thought, but here they seemed like a happy normal people.

The map room was up a slope, near the fence. The building it was inside had not been fully unearthed, the Death Eaters had entered it through a round hole cut into the roof. From standing on the building, Harry could see of across the whole compound.

"Go in through the hole," Bill said, there was no need to whisper as they were so far away from the other workers. He quickly conjured a rope and, tying it securely, tossed the length into the hole. "I'll wait for you. You have fifteen minutes till sunset."

Harry nodded. "Here, you better take the cloak, I won't need it down there, and it'll look suspicious if they find you just waiting around here." He tossed the cloak to Bill, who examined it and then threw it over himself, disappearing.

Harry tossed the staff down the whole. It clattered to the stone floor. Taking a deep breath, Harry climbed down the rope after it.

His feet touched the stone floor safely, and only then did he look around. He found he was standing at the corner of a room that was an incredibly detailed miniature replica of the city of Tanis. Though Harry had not seen it completely unearthed, it appeared very accurate to him. Made in the same white stone as the buildings themselves, it almost felt as if Harry had an overhead view of Tanis during its glory days. This was slightly cumbered by the layer of dirt, dust and cobwebs that covered everything.

Harry saw that a thin ray of light was falling into the room from a small window across him. It was slowly moving toward him. Reminded of his time limit, Harry crossed the model, careful not to trip over any of the small buildings. He found a round hole, slightly elevated, at the edge of the model.

Harry fit the staff into the hole, pressing it down as far as it would go. He than fitted the headpiece over the top of the stick, it fit perfectly. The Staff of Ra was now complete.

Harry stepped backward into a corner to watch. It took a few minutes, but was certainly worth the wait. The light spilling from the small window hit the ruby embedded in the headpiece. The effect was immediate. The ruby began to glow with an inner light, looking like there was some miniature red sun embedded inside it.

A second later, a ray of concentrated, red-tinged light spilled from the ruby. It moved across the model, Harry breathed deeply, he hadn't realized he had been holding his breath.

The ray slowly moved across the model. It stopped as it reached a low rectangular building, for a moment the building seemed to glow, lit up completely, and then the red beam was gone, as the sun drifted out of view.

Harry quickly memorized the building's location. Then, to be safe, he wrote down its location on a small notebook he had brought along in his pocket for just such a purpose.

Harry took the staff from its resting-place. Tucked the headpiece into his pocket. Carrying the staff, he thought about leaving it, but decide not to, Harry climbed the rope. When he climbed out of the hole, it seemed he was alone for a moment. Then Bill came out from under the cloak.

"I assume all went well," he said, as Harry tossed him the staff and picked up his cloak.

Harry nodded. "It did. Got the coordinates and everything." He handed Bill the notebook.

Bill looked at the notebook, and then pointed to spot closer to them than the incorrect dig site. "There, perfect."

"You know," said Harry. "I'm guessing Shishak was a wizard." And with that he disappeared under the cloak.

Bill started walking down, in the general direction of the real location of the Well of Souls, hoping Harry was following him. He was.

All went well until they passed a table of particularly loud and, Harry suspected, somewhat drunk Death Eaters.

"Oiy, scarface," one of them shouted at Bill. Bill said nothing but stopped. "What were you doing up there?"

"If you want the truth, I was taking a-"

"I don't think so. I reckon you were having a look around the map room. Not only that, scarface," he looked around to make sure the other Death Eaters were paying attention to him, "but I think you're not alone. I think there's someone with you, invisible maybe."

"Yeah," said Bill sarcastically, "I just happen to have Harry Potter with, giving him a look around, you know it's bloody annoying though because you dunno whether he's really with you or not." many of the Death Eater's laughed.

"Hey" the talkative one protested, "we all know Potter's got an invisibility cloak."

Glancing toward a spot about five feet away from Harry, Bill mouthed, 'I'll handle this, go, now.'

Harry went, he stifled a laugh as he heard one of the Death Eaters explaining how Harry was such a powerful wizard he could disillusion himself so well he became insubstantial. _If only that were true_, he thought wistfully.

All dreams of power beyond his skill set vanished when Harry saw Goler, flanked by the two Death Eaters he had been talking to earlier, coming along the row of tents toward him. While Harry knew Goler couldn't see him, he still very much wanted to get out of his way.

Harry ducked through the threshold of a nearby tent. Like all wizarding tents, it was a great deal bigger on the inside than the outside would suggest. There was carpet under Harry's feet, and he feared he would leave distinct footprints with his sandy boots.

The tent was furnished with a long table, though there were no chairs. There was a tall wardrobe in on corner, a changing screen beside it. Two closed doors led into, Harry assumed, a bedroom and a bathroom. Nearby, a desk covered with parchment. Approaching it, Harry saw that the parchment included an artist rendition of Tanis at its prime, a list of the hired diggers and workers and how much they were being paid, and, Harry's heart fell, a copy of the same picture Musgrove had shown Harry of the Ark in action. It was clear why Hernon Dietrich was interested in the Ark of the Covenant.

Harry saw the corner of a photograph poking out from beneath a heavy leather bound book he didn't recognize. Without thinking, Harry grabbed it. Rising disbelief washed over him as he saw what it was. It was very like the picture he owned of the D.A., as well the picture he had seen of the old Order of the Phoenix. There was one difference though: this was a photograph of Voldemort's inner circle, his favorite Death Eaters. While it appeared Voldemort himself had not found time to appear in the picture, everyone else had, with the exceptions of Severus Snape and Barty Crouch Junior, one of whom had suffered the Dementor's kiss, the other under-cover at Hogwarts when the picture was taken.

Harry saw Dietrich standing in the center of the front row, next to Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's parents. Scanning the back row, Harry saw Crabbe and Goyle's fathers, staring stupidly, as well as Pius Thicknesse, Voldemort's puppet minister of magic. Harry turned over the photograph to see a short note scrawled in blood-red ink. That is, Harry hoped it was ink. It read:

Thought you ought to have a copy, I look good, don't I. Keep out of Azkaban.

Bella

Looking back at the photgraph, Harry saw who had written the note, the person he had hated almost as much as Voldemort, more than Voldemort. Bellatrix Lestrange, a tall, dark-haired witch, was standing at the left of the front row of the photograph. She smiled coyly at the camera, occasionaly running her fingers along her bared left arm, stroking the symbol of the skull with a snake curling from its mouth, scarred deeply into her skin. Harry now saw that all the picture's inhabitant's had their left sleeves rolled up, uncovering the dark marks their master had branded them with.

Feeling sicker by the minute, Harry stuffed the photo into his pocket, turning to leave, he saw her. There was a woman lying on the floor, her face pressed into the carpet. She was bound and gagged tightly with magical cords. Her eyes closed, her breathing eratic, she was soaked in dried blood, especially around her chest. Her clothes were torn and equally bloody, both of her shoes stolen.

The woman was Ginny Weasley.


	11. Chapter 11: Meeting Dietrich

Chapter eleven: meeting Dietrich

Throwing off the invisibility cloak, Harry crossed the room to Ginny. With a wave of his wand and a whispered spell, the ropes binding her disappeared. Opening her eyes more fully, she lifted her head to look at him.

"Oh…it's you."

Harry raised a finger to his lips. "We thought you were dead," he whispered, "they must have not taken the basket in the truck."

"What?"

"Nothing, how'd you get here?"

"Don't really know, by the time the stunning spell wore off, I was lying here, tied up. I haven't seen anybody. They took my wand; would you mind getting me some water?"

Harry quickly conjured a wooden goblet, filling it with water. Sitting up, Ginny downed it. Harry refilled the goblet, and this time she splashed some of the water over her face, washing off the dried blood.

"Where am I? I haven't seen anything outside of this room."

"You're in a tent in the Tanis dig site. It's just after sunset. Bill's here to, we've just been to the map room. We know where the Well of Souls is."

"That's good, think you could heal me before we go, hurts more than anything."

Harry doubted that, but he said nothing the matter. "I'm sorry about this," he whispered, raising his wand.

"About what?" realization dawned on Ginny's face, "Don't even-" she tried to say more, but her next words were obscured as the thin magical ropes once again curled around her, binding and gagging her tightly

"Look, if they find you missing, they'll know somebody's here. I'll come back to get you after we find the Ark, I promise." Harry swept the cloak back over himself, and hurried out of the tent, trying to forget Ginny's hurt expression.

Appreciatively, Harry noticed that it was a bit cooler now that night had fallen. The camp was less busy, as most of the workers and Death Eaters retired to their tents, or began the walk to point where apparation became safe.

Harry was in a very good mood. They had found the Ark's resting place, and it would be gone before morning, right under Dietrich's nose. Even better, Ginny wasn't as dead as he'd feared.

"I don't see why you're keeping the blood traitor alive, she's no use to us." Hearing Malfoy's voice, Harry ducked into an alcove between two tents. Malfoy was walking toward him, next to him was Hernon Dietrich.

It was the first time Harry had seen Dietrich in person, he had seen photographs, but none of them had really done the man justice. He was tall, taller than Malfoy, and very fit, handsome despite his age. He had a neatly trimmed short beard, a different shade of gray then his eyes. He wore a dark green suit. While it was obvious that Azkaban had made it's mark on him, his face was not nearly as shallow and hollowed out as that of Sirius Black or Bellatrix Lestrange after their time spent in the wizard prison. Harry mainly attributed this to the lack of Dementors.

"Blood traitor she may be, as you keep reminding me Draco," said Dietrich, his voice was low and smooth, almost hypnotic. "She still most likely retains certain information about both Harry Potter, and the Ark in general. Information that I would rather posses than the short-lived pleasure of killing her immediately."

"Should I get Toht, then," said Malfoy, who, Harry was pleased to note, disliked the way Dietrich used his first name.

"No, no, not yet. I would prefer to try the Weasley girl myself first. It I prove unsuccessful, you may call for Arnold Toht, who I'm sure will be thrilled."

"Yes, sir," said Malfoy, separating from Dietrich to walk toward the groups of wizards trailing away from the incorrect dig site for the Well of Souls.

Feeling that Ginny would soon be having visitors and that that would not be good, Harry heightened his efforts to find Bill.

It didn't take long for harry to find to find Bill. He was standing with a dozen other diggers, above the place where, according to the map room, the Well of Souls resided. Harry was pleased to see that, while near to the incorrect dig site; they were hidden from the rest of the camp by a tall sand dune.

"Hey," Harry pulled of the invisibility cloak beside Bill, who jumped. The eyes of all the surrounding men migrated to his forehead. "Let's get that Ark. If we work quickly, we'll have it en route to England by morning." They cheered.

"Well, you're cheerful," Bill said, so that only Harry could hear.

"Ginny's alive, they've brought her here. We'll take her with us; I'll get her once we have the Ark. We have to hurry though, Malfoy wants to hand her over to Toht."

Bill nodded, and without another word, drove his shovel into the sand.

Ginny was in much worse mood than Harry. While she understood why he had left her, it really did make sense; she still didn't like it. Now she was back on the floor, tied so tightly she could barely move. It didn't help at all that her wound hurt. Hurt enough that, upon regaining consciousness, it had taken all her willpower not to scream.

"Ginny Weasley, I believe that is your name, is it not?" Rolling over as best as she could, Ginny could see Hernon Dietrich standing at the tent's entrance. He was varying much as Harry had described him, but he had a sort of presence that could only be felt when meeting him in person. Not nearly as strong as that of Lord Voldemort, but still strong enough to be felt. "If I'm not mistaken, Ginny is shot for Ginevra. Not a common name in any setting.

"You know, I apologize for how they've treated you. I had no idea." With an absent wave of Dietrich's wand, the magical ropes binding her vanished. "I believe Mr. Malfoy saw fit to snap your wand in two. Most unfortunate. I am beginning to tire of that man, even though he is my nephew. Still, you are alive, which is always better than the alternative."

Ginny had not spent very much time speaking to Albus Dumbledore, it had usually been Harry he confided in, but from what she remembered, Dietrich, horrible as the notion was, reminded her a great deal of the late headmaster.

"Oh, and I'll have to get rid of that too," he continued, waving his wand once more. She felt a second of intense pain from her wound, and then all feeling of it was gone. Feeling through the long tear in her shirt, she felt only smooth skin. Not only that, but, while still clinging to her clothes, every speck of dried blood had gone from her skin. The deceivingly simple spellwork had even gone so far to comb the snarls and dirt from her hair.

"That's better," said Dietrich. "Now, what's missing?" Ginny said nothing, she was impressed, but she didn't want to let it show.

"Ah yes," he glanced at Ginny's torn and bloody clothes. Almost subconsciously, or so it appeared, he conjured a white cardboard box from thin air. "Please, take the time to change. We will talk afterwards."

Still saying nothing, Ginny took the box. With one last look at Dietrich, she moved behind the privacy screen. Not surprisingly, the box was filled with clothes. They were more formal than she preferred, a knee-length brown skirt, white long-sleeved blouse with two buttons at the collar, which she left undone, and flat dress shoes. Still, they fit her perfectly, which only made her more impressed with Dietrich's magical skill, and were highly preferable to the clothes she had been wearing, which were crusty with a layer of dried sweat and blood.

Ginny changed quickly, not knowing what to do with the, mostly ruined, clothes she had worn since the battle, she left them in a heap on the carpet.

Dietrich's was sitting at the table, across from him an identical chair; neither had been there when she had gone behind the screen. The table had been set for two, complete with food. Ginny wondered where it had come from; she remembered that food was one of the few things that could not be created through magic.

Ginny sat, and after slight hesitation, began to eat, she hadn't realized it before, but she was very hungry. The food was very good, though she hadn't bothered to check what it was. The only thing she did acknowledge was the wine, which she left untouched, thinking that this would quite likely be the worst time in her life to get drunk.

Dietrich ate and drank, albeit much slower and more politely than Ginny. Once she had slowed down he spoke again. "You know, I don't think you've said a thing since I came in. I would very much like it if you did."

"Why do you want the Ark?" said Ginny, though she felt she already knew.

Dietrich sighed, "I was afraid you would begin with something like that. While the Ark of the Covenant has both symbolic and worldly value, it is, as I'm sure you already know, an extremely powerful artifact."

"So you just want power for power's sake, just like Voldemort, didn't work to well for him, did it. Harry stopped him, and he'll stop you too."

"The dark lord's downfall was not from his love of power, but from his obsession with immortality. Unlike the dark lord, I do not want to live forever. I simply want to be remembered as the man who found the fabled lost Ark and used it to bring some much-needed order back into the wizarding world.

"And now, Miss Weasley, we come to the real reason I want to speak to you."

"Harry?"

"Information, concerning Harry Potter and his own quest for the Ark. How far along is he, where is he staying, does he still have the second headpiece, has he translated it yet."

Ginny shrugged, "He never tells me anything."

"I very much doubt that."

"Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you, would I?"

"It will be much better for you if you do. Unlike Draco, I see no need for you to die. However, if you remain uncooperative there is no need for you to be kept alive either."

"I am cooperating. I'm eating your food, I'm wearing the clothes you gave me, and I haven't stabbed you with my steak knife yet. I'm just telling you, I honestly don't know."

Dietrich sat back. "Unfortunately, I have never been any good at legilimency, and here in the desert we are sadly lacking in veritaserum, so that leaves me with my final option."

Dietrich stood up. With a wave of his wand he vanished the food, plates and glasses from the table. While his own chair disappeared, Ginny's remained, as did her borrowed clothes, thankfully.

"Remember, I did give you a chance," with one last flick Dietrich's wand, black ropes once more curled around Ginny, binding her to her chair. With that, Dietrich left, not giving her a second glance.

Less than a minute after his departure, a second, much shorter, wizard entered. Arnold Toht. He was dressed as he had been in Nepal. Toht shrugged off his black trench coat, laying it on the table.

She gasped slightly upon seeing his right hand. An exact copy of one side of the Staff of Ra headpiece had been burned into it, where the headpiece had burned into his hand. Though Ginny didn't know it, this was how the Death Eaters had been able to get a one-sided replica of the headpiece.

Standing across the table at her, he took a long look at Ginny, and giggled. Raising his wand, which, Ginny realized, was uncommonly short, only six inches long, and made of black wood, he spoke for the first time still whispering, though she had no trouble hearing him.

"And now, Miss Weasley, what shall we talk about first?"


	12. Chapter 12: The Well Of Souls

Chapter twelve: the Well of Souls

Harry heard the scream from the dig site. A scream of pain. "Ginny," he whispered. And then began to dig all the harder.

They had managed to clear a great deal of sand but, as Harry discovered, sand was much harder to dig into than dirt, as it wouldn't stay put. About half the sand they removed, whether by shovel or blasted away with magic, managed to find its way back to its starting position.

Still, they had made some progress over the last hour. Harry began digging twice as vigorously as before, and the dip in the sand they were creating got larger and larger. Sweat ran down Harry's face, dripping into his eyes. But he still kept digging, sure that if he stopped to rest the sand would spill back in, wasting all their earlier work.

Just as he was about to stop anyway, Harry brought the shovel down one last time. Instead of cutting into the sand as it had before, there was a clang as the shovel hit rock, jarring Harry's arm.

"Good," Bill told the other workers. "We'll do the rest by wand." Together, the wizards raised their wands, summoning a strong, if brief, wind, which swept the sand from the rock for about a ten-foot radius.

They were standing atop another stone building, made of the same well-preserved white stone as the rest of Tanis. Set into the roof was a large trapdoor. With the help of the other wizards, Harry levitated the trapdoor slightly, moving the heavy stone tile away from the opening.

_"Lumos Maximus!" _Harry whispered. A ball of light flew from the tip of his wand to hang in the chamber below, illuminating it.

Surrounding the trapdoor, four huge dog-like faces snarled at them. Looking closer, Harry saw that there were four statues circled around the opening. Larger than life, they each represented a humanoid figure with the head of a jackal, and a spear in its hand: Anubis, the Egyptian god of the underworld.

Tearing his gaze away from the statues, Harry looked past to see that the floor was farther down that he had expected the chamber must extend underground. Though the stone floor was covered with dust, it didn't seem particularly dangerous to Harry.

"I'll go first," he said. Bill threw a rope over the edge. It didn't streach all the way to the bottom, but it was close enough. Harry, feeling like he had done this very recently, climbed down on the rope, past the gaping jaws of the Anubis statues. He had to drop the last five feet, as the rope ran out.

The Well of Souls put the temple in the South American jungle to shame. It was so big that Harry's steps echoed, dust flying up wherever he stepped, the air was cool, and smelled of decay as well as something else Harry couldn't place. The walls were covered with runes and hieroglyphs; Harry distinctly picked out a picture of two odd beings. The first hominoid, but holding his arms in awkward position as it gazed at the second figure, half the height of the first, shaped like a calendar with two legs sprouting from its sides and a third leg poking out underneath the cylinder, somewhat like a walking trash can. Harry wrote them off as obscure Egyptian deities.

Beyond the statues of Anubis, steps led up to a large alter. On it, flanked on either side by expertly sculpted statues of rearing snakes, was a large box of black stone. Too tall to be Shisak's own coffin, Harry doubted it was the Ark of the Covenant. However, the Ark could be inside…

"Nice place," Bill said climbing down beside Harry, "I've been in plenty of tombs, but this is one of the grandest." His voice boomed throughout the empty space, even though he had been speaking softly.

Bill and Harry walked across the Well of Souls toward the stone box. Harry kept expecting spikes to come out of the walls, or perhaps poisoned darts, but nothing happened. It appeared as though Shishak had thought the Well's hidden location as protection enough.

Harry, Bill slightly behind him, climbed the stairs until he stood in front of the black stone box. There were more runes carved on the lid.

"It says," Bill translated, "'He who removes my sacred Ark from its resting place shall awaken its guardian, and suffer a fate more horrible than can be imagined'. Don't worry though, most of the time, it's all talk. Half the time, that is."

"That makes me feel so much better."

Harry lifted his wand and, with Bill's help, levitated the box's stone lid to a space several feet away, where they let it drop. Harry winced at the loud crash it made, the lid breaking into three pieces.

Bill gestured at the box. "It's all yours," he said stepping back.

Harry peered over the edge of the box and got his first real look at the Ark of the Covenant. While the artist's rendition had captured the size and shape correctly, it did nothing to show the feeling of being around the Ark. It seemed to ooze power and energy, the stone box had muffled that, but now that it was open, the full sensation of simply being in the same room as the Ark washed over Harry.

"It's all there?" asked Bill. "Should I get them to send down the crate?"

"Yes, do. It's here."

The Ark gleamed in the light of Harry's spell. Though made of acacia wood, it was overlaid with gold. It was not particularly large, about four feet long, two and a half feet high, and two and a half feet wide. Two gold angelic figures were carved into its lid, bowed to each other with their wings outstretched. Part of Harry very much wanted to reach down and take the lid from the Ark but, partly from how the Hebrews had used long sticks to carry it, partly from its whole aura, he felt that touching the Ark at all would be a very bad idea.

"Bill, take a look at this," Harry whispered, as, helped by Harry's wand, the Ark of the Covenant floated from the box and toward Bill, who was waiting with the crate. As soon as the Ark left the bottom of its stone box, Harry heard a low grinding noise, which continued for several seconds before stopping. But, looking about, Harry saw nothing changed, so he decided he had imagined it.

He hadn't.

Bill whistled upon seeing the Ark. "That's got to be valuable, hard to believe it's a weapon though." Harry, who was still bathed in the aura surrounding the Ark, did not find it hard to believe at all, but he said nothing.

With Bill's help, he got the Ark safely into the crate. Which, Harry noticed, read _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. _Then, they levitated the Ark up until it disappeared out of the hole above. The diggers, once Harry and Bill had emerged, would quickly get the crate, containing the ark, to a truck waiting close outside the compound, where it would be driven to safety.

Feeling extremely satisfied, Harry let Bill go first, disappearing through the trapdoor high above. There was one detail he hadn't planed yet. Ginny; there was no way he could leave her, but if she was being interrogated by Death Eaters, he couldn't jeopardize the Ark by barging in to rescue her.

Realizing that Bill had long since gone, Harry jumped onto the rope, which was higher off the ground than he would have preferred, and began to climb.

He made it halfway up before the rope was severed. Harry fell, landing heavily on his back. He had twisted his ankle, but the injury was mild enough he was able to heal it with a jab of his wand.

"My, my," Malfoy's drawling voice came from far above; he was peering at Harry over the edge of the trapdoor. "What is famous Harry Potter doing in such a place?"

"I'd show you, but you're too far away. Fancy coming a bit closer."

"No I do not. However, I thank you deeply on my employer's behalf. You've saved us a great deal of time and trouble."

"That's me, always happy to help."

"Well, you've been so helpful that some of us, not including me, haven't the heart to leave you down there all alone."

Another voice came, though beyond Harry's view, he recognized the speaker as Dietrich. "The girl was not to be a part of this!" he said, angrily.

"She is of no more use to us," a third voice Toht's. 'She's told me everything.

A moments pause, then "Yes, I suppose you're right. Carry on."

Still bound and gagged with the magical rope, Ginny was thrown down from above, slamming into one of the Jackal statues on the way. Harry managed to catch her, but nearly fell over in the process. She was heavier than he had expected.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter," said Malfoy gleefully. And with a grinding of stone of stone, the trapdoor was pulled back over the entrance, far above. Sealed permanently.

Harry severed the ropes around Ginny; they fell limply to the floor around her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Harry" she whispered. Glancing around the Well of Souls. "I told them everything, I couldn't help it. Now they have the Ark, but I suppose that doesn't matter because we're both going to die anyway."

"We're not going to die," said Harry. "There's got to be another way out, they wouldn't have built it so you could only get in and out through the ceiling." He walked to the wall and rapped on it with his knuckles. It was hard as rock. Harry was going to try a bit farther down when he saw it. A long, wide line free of dust, stretching from behind the altar into the shadows cast by Harry's miniature sun.

Suddenly it all fell together in his mind. The statues of snakes, a guardian that would stay living for thousands of years. His mind filled memories. Tom Riddle's diary, which had really been a horcrux. Hermione, Nearly Headless Nick and Mr. Norris all petrified. A portion of Voldemort's soul taking form, standing at the feet of a massive statue of Salazar Slytherin…

_"Hungry, very hungry," _came a hissing voice in Harry's mind; one Ginny was unable to understand. _"Fresh meat. Fresh blood. Fresh bone. Rip them. Tear them."_

"Ginny! Get behind me," Harry shouted, raising his wand. "And whatever you do, don't open your eyes."


	13. Chapter 13: Entombed

Chapter thirteen: entombed

"What's in here?" Ginny whispered, shutting her eyes as Harry had ordered.

"I'm pretty sure it's a Basilisk, you don't have to whisper, it can smell us anyway."

Harry carefully looked around. Fortunately, his Lumos Maximus spell was still working, giving them enough light to see by, though the corners of the room were still bathed in shadow. It was these shadows that Harry was most worried about.

_Come to me, blood and bone and sweet flesh. Rip it, tear it. _Harry saw movement in the shadows at the far side of the room. Screwing his eyes shut, he grabbed Ginny's arm and ran foreword blindly, pulling her behind him.

"If only I had the sorting hat," he whispered.

"I don't see how that would really help," came Ginny's from somewhere behind him.

"Nothing," Harry remembered that, as she had been mainly unconscious during his battle with the Basilisk below Hogwarts, she hadn't seen him pull Gryffindor's sword from the sorting hat. _I wonder where that ended up_, he thought, but quickly reminded himself that it didn't really matter, considering the situation at hand.

Harry heard the basilisk behind them, slithering across the stone floor with a rasping noise that sent shivers up his spine, hissing to itself about killing and eating and biting.

Through eyes have closed, he saw the alter before them, the black stone box still sitting there. If they managed to get behind it…

Harry ran all the faster, behind him, Ginny, who had not been expecting the stairs, as she still had her eyes shut, tripped, and Harry half dragged her up the stairs to duck behind the stone box.

Opening his eyes, he realized something was different about Ginny. "You changed." He said, not really thinking.

"Yeah, I met Dietrich. He's a lot nicer than Toht actually. Remember what he said about the Cruciatus curse, well I guess he found the place. Anyway, Dietrich fed me and healed me, wanted me to tell him about you though, obviously." Ginny was speaking very quickly, and Harry was distracted, he wished they had Fawkes the Phoenix, who had punctured the last Basilisk's eyes…

"Wait what did you say he did?"

"He asked me-"

"Before that."

"He healed me."

"That's it!"

"That's what?"

"Your wound."

"What about it?"  
>"That spell." Harry, his eyes shut tightly, turned to face the Basilisk, where he though it was, that is.<p>

_"Sectumsempra!" _he shouted. The Basilisk shrieked. Taking this to mean the spell had connected, Harry shouted it two more times. Then he opened his eyes.

The Basilisk before him was similar, but not identical, the one in the Chamber of Secrets. Its scales were a lighter shade of green, its small patch of feathers a different style of red. It was slightly larger than the one Harry had slain during his second year at Hogwarts. But it looked almost sickly, its scales coming of in places, revealing cold white flesh beneath. One of its fangs was broken near the tip, still a jagged point. It was cut across the face by Harry's spell, blood running from both its eyes, dripping into its gaping fangs. Harry judged that he had blinded it, due mainly to the fact that he was still alive.

_Still smell, warm flesh, fresh blood. Still feast. _The Basilisk reared up like some gigantic cobra. Harry, seeing what it was about to do, grabbed Ginny by the shoulder, pulling her with him. He managed to make it over the snake statue and fell of the alter, hitting his elbow heavily. Still, it was better than staying put. The force of the Basilisk's strike shattered the box into shards and dust. Scraping against the wall, it twisted around, not losing any time.

Harry pulled Ginny to her feet; she was staring at the Basilisk with a mixture of fear, disgust and amazement. While she had probably had more interaction with the species than Harry, she had spent the whole time under Voldemort's control, never seeing the living creature for herself.

The giant snake slithered after them, Harry shot several spells at it, and everything from stunning spells to the nastiest jinxes he could think of. The few spells that took effect did nothing to stop the creature.

Harry stumbled, pulling Ginny down with him, crouched on the cool stone floor; he saw that they had reached the Anubis statues. More importantly, he felt a small breeze of stale air on his face. Looking closer, he saw the wall nearby had corroded, in one place enough to create a small hole. A plan began to form in his mind.

Then the Basilisk struck. Harry had no time to think, he threw himself to the side, sliding across the stone floor. The Basilisk's jaws closed around the right leg of an Anubis statue, Harry saw it shake under the force.

He had lost his grip on Ginny, Harry looked for her, but before he could see her, the Basilisk's tail slammed into him, whipping out of nowhere. It was like being hit by a tree. Harry's glasses flew off, his breath knocked out of him; he slammed into the floor on his back. It was only by extreme luck he was able to keep hold of his wand.

By squinting his eyes, Harry was able to make out a light green blur, the Basilisk, curling around a black blur, the one of the Anubis statues. Harry knew what to do.

_"Confringo!"_

Harry's spell hit the feet of the Anubis statue. In a way that could have been quite symbolic, had Harry cared about that sort of thing as well as being able to see it, the black stone feet exploded. The statue broke in half as it fell, pinning the basilisk beneath it.

Still squinting, Harry got to his feet and slowly approached the Basilisk. He couldn't tell if it was alive or dead. Harry picked up a long sliver of the statue's large spear. If alive, the Basilisk was helpless, but if it wasn't dead…

Harry regretted it before he finished driving the long sliver of stone deep between the creature's eyes. Dangerous as the Basilisk had been, it had been helpless. He had done exactly what Voldemort would have done in his place. Harry couldn't help but thinking what Hagrid would say if he had seen him finish of such a 'beautiful creature'.

Harry was distracted by someone hugging him from behind, after five seconds the person let go. "Here," said Ginny quietly, putting his glasses on over his eyes. He had already guessed it was her, as she was the only thing down here that was capable of hugging.

Or so he thought.

"Er, thanks." Harry touched his wand gently to the thin cut over her eye; she must have got it when the stone box had shattered. The cut sealed over quickly leaving the space it had been slightly pink. Or that may have just been because Ginny was blushing.

Harry looked at the remnants of the statue, as he had hoped; part of it had smashed through the wall. Beyond, Harry could see only darkness. Still, it might well be their way out. If it wasn't, well, it was still worth seeing what was inside.

"Stay here," Harry told Ginny. Though he hadn't been hurt during the short battle with the Basilisk, his hands were covered with the creature's blood. He had tried to wipe it off on his robes, but only really managed to get them sticky as well.

"I'll call once I find out what's in there." With that, Harry, holding his wand before him in a ready position, stepped into the darkness beyond the jagged hole in the wall. Ginny heard him whisper _"Lumos,"_ and heard his departing footsteps as the thin light from his wand tip retreated. Soon she could only see darkness.

Ginny sat on one of the giant pieces of Anubis's leg. She crossed her legs. Then uncrossed them. She stood up for a minute, glancing at the hieroglyphs on the wall, and sat again this time on the floor.

She decided to follow Harry, and then changed her mind after she got up. She spent a few more minutes absentmindedly tossing a pebble to herself. After what felt like a great deal of time, she decided that wherever Harry was, it had to be better then sitting in the middle of the Well of Souls next to a dead Basilisk. Besides, if he had died, she didn't want to stay here for the rest of her life.

Ginny got up again, this time walking to the hole in the wall. She winced as she trod in a spreading puddle of Basilisk blood; it seeped into her shoes, for the first time she wished she had kept her socks.

Ginny climbed over a bit of Anubis's head, and entered the darkness. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She was in a long corridor that eventually turned to the left. Lining the walls of the corridor were perfectly preserved sarcophagi. Harry's footprints one the dusty stone floor preceded down the corridor and out of sight. She would have followed him without a second glance, but something made her stop.

The sarcophagi were plated with gold.

Before following them, Ginny took a close look at the sarcophagus nearest her. Stretching out a hand, she brushed the gold-coated wood with her forefinger. As soon as she touched the wood, the lid of the sarcophagus exploded outward, crumbling into dust. The creature inside lurched outward, its fingers curling around Ginny's hand. She screamed, and with good reason too.

The creature was an inferius, an animated corpse. A zombie.

Though she didn't know it, it was unlike the Inferi that had attacked Harry and Dumbledore in the cave all those years ago. Those had been simply bodies. This inferius had decayed until all that remained was a skeleton.

Ginny tried to pull free of the dead man's grip, but it was to tightly curled around her arm, she punched it in the face, but though the inferius's skull crumbled under her attack, its grip stayed strong. She hit it again, this time in the rib cage. Impossibly, its rib cage curled inward around her fist, trapping her hand. Still screaming, Ginny smashed the inferius backward into its sarcophagus. It fell apart, its bones cracking and falling to the ground, but still the skeleton's hand and forearm remained clutching her arm. With all her strength, she managed to pull free it of, throwing it to the ground. Blood ran down her arm from where the sharp bones had cut into her skin.

"Harry," Ginny stumbled backward, strong arms caught her, embraced her, but they were not Harry's. The other Inferi had awoken. The Inferi holding her was better preserved than the first; it did not shatter when she threw herself backward into the wall, only tightening its grip.

Ginny elbowed it, managing to break its spine. The top half of the Inferi clung to her back, its jaw bit down on her shoulder, in some sick imitation of a vampire. Drawing blood it would never be able to consume.

Crying out again, this time in pain, Ginny reached back and manage to wrench the Inferi's skull from its shoulders, throwing it to the ground. The ribcage and arms still clinging to her, Ginny ran forward, following Harry's footprints.

She fell as skeletal fingers grasped her leg. The Inferi closed in around her, over a dozen of them, their faces smiling impossibly. Then they fell on her.

Ginny tried to fight them, punching and kicking with all her strength, but there were too many, and they cared nothing about losing limbs. Cold, skeletal hands pulled at her face, trying to reach her eyes, scratched her skin, biting her again and again, tearing at her hair and clothing. Then, with a sense of finality, at least three pairs of hands together curled around her throat.

Dietrich had the Ark, all was lost. And she was going to die here, in this hell of snakes and skeletal remains that knew nothing but the evil magic reanimating them. They would kill her, strangling her, taking care not to break her neck. Then they would strip the flesh from her bones, making her like them, trapped for an eternity of waiting for another visitor who would never come.

If not for Harry, that is.

Flame sprang from his wand, anger on his face. Those Inferi who were not incinerated into ashes, shrunk back to the walls, away from the flames. They swarmed around Ginny too, singing her hair, scorching her clothes, burning her, and she welcomed it. Harry took her arm, pulling her to her feet. Dragging her behind him, he strode quickly down the corridor, a wall of flame between them and the Inferi. She could see them, watching her with eyeless sockets between the flickering pillars.

Harry looked Ginny over. He wished he hadn't. She was soaked with blood and sweat and tears, her clothes ragged and torn almost beyond recognition. Her arms and face were red from the flames, but worse, her exposed skin was completely covered with small cuts and bruises, occasionaly, where there appeared to be tooth marks on her flesh, bits of her skin had actually been ripped away. In layman's terms: she looked like hell.

Harry knew his limitations when it came to healing with magic. Ginny had far exceeded them. "Well, I guess you'll be feeling that in the morning," he muttered angrily, not caring whether or not she could hear him. 'Maybe next time you'll actually stay put!"

Harry led Ginny up a flight of stairs. There Harry had slowly managed to cut a circular hole in the white stone with his wand. Through it poured morning sunlight.

The best sunrise Ginny had ever seen.


	14. Chapter 14: The Flying Wing

Chapter fourteen: the flying wing

Harry, followed by Ginny, climbed through the hole to find that they had exited through one of the nearby white stone buildings. Apparently, the Well of Souls streached farther underground than Harry had expected.

The morning sun spilled over Tanis, there was no more excavation being done. Instead, all of the morning's activity was clustered around the tip of the runway Harry had seen earlier. On it was a plane. It was completely unlike the plane Harry and Ginny had taken to Egypt. To begin with, it was smaller, painted black, it appeared as though someone had taken a single wing from a jumbo jet, and put a cockpit in its center. Harry didn't know it, but the flying wing, as it was called, was the panicle of stealth technology. Once in the air, it would blend into the clouds, invisible to radar and magical sensors alike.

What made Harry most interested in the plane was the wooden crate that was being loaded into its cargo hold. The Ark of the Covenant.

"Of course," Harry whispered. "They know that the Ministry is watching all magical travel in and out of the country, so they're going to use a muggle plane to sneak the Ark out of Egypt."

"What are we going to do about it?" said Ginny. "I mean, in case you haven't noticed: there are only two of us, with one wand between us. There's no way we can fight them all off and steal the Ark."

"We won't have to," said Harry. "I will. You stay here, take the cloak. I'm going to make sure the plane won't be flying anywhere."

Ginny covered herself in the invisibility cloak. Harry ran toward the airfield, using the white stone buildings as cover where he could. Ginny let him get to what she thought was a good distance away, and then crept after him.

The airfield seemed deserted, save for a single Death Eater sitting in the cockpit of the flying wing. Its propellers, which looked almost out of place on the otherwise sleek and modern aircraft, began to turn slowly.

Harry approached on the pilot's blindside, wand at the ready, he searched for the cargo entrance. Despite what he had told Ginny, he had no intention of destroying the plane, he might damage the Ark in the process. By the time it left, he would be on it. Knowing Ginny would never let him go alone if he had told her, he had lied, hoping her recent experience with the Inferi would keep her from following him.

However, Harry's hopes of getting aboard the flying wing undetected were permanently destroyed, as a single Death Eater walked into view, and, seeing Harry, shot a long stream of red sparks into the air, accompanied by a loud bang.

Harry groaned inwardly, the last thing he needed now was another wizard's duel. The Death Eater managed to block Harry's stunning spell, and retaliated with a curse that Harry barely dodged by rolling under the wing. Harry managed to non-verbally disarm his opponent; the Death Eater's wand flew from his grip into the blades of the propeller, which cut it to pieces. His wand destroyed, the Death Eater dived at Harry, and managed to punch him in the stomach before Harry stunned him.

Meanwhile, across the airfield, a Death Eater emerged from one of the tents upon hearing the loud crack. He was just in time to see Harry dispatch his opponent. The Death Eater was heavily muscled, with a ruddy complexion, bald head, and mustache. He also enjoyed dueling, both with his wand and his fists. Not one to let a fellow Death Eater be defeated by some punk kid, The Death Eater strode out onto the airfield, unbuttoning his shirt.

Harry glanced around to find himself confronted with a second Death Eater. Harry was able to see the dark mark branded into the man's arm, streached over his bulging muscles. The bald Death Eater raised his wand, bowing slightly to Harry, as dueling etiquette required. Harry, having no time for such niceties, simply shouted _"Expelliarmus!"_

"_Protego!"_ Harry had never before seen someone block a disarming spell. The Death Eater gave Harry a disapproving look, one that began and ended with his forehead.

Harry fired of three stunning spells in rapid succession; the muscled Death Eater blocked them all easily, and retaliated with a curse Harry had never seen before, one that jarred his arm as he blocked it. Harry knew he was outclassed; he needed to finish this fight quickly, before the Death Eater was joined by any others.

What Harry didn't see, while exchanging spells with the bald man, they had moved out of the cover of the plane's wing, and into full view of the pilot.

Ginny, crouched under the invisibility cloak at the Tanis building closest to the airfield, saw what Harry didn't. She also the pilot take out his wand, aiming it at Harry's back. Without thinking, she cast off the cloak, leaving it behind the building, and sprinted toward the airfield. Not for the first time, she found herself seriously wishing she wasn't wearing a skirt.

Back at the airfield, Harry was blocking as best as he could. The force of the bald man's last spell sent him stumbling. That was when he saw Ginny, ignoring Harry and his opponent, she ran across the sandy ground toward the flying wing.

"Ginny, what in-"

_"Flipendo" _the Death Eater had, wisely, not allowed Ginny to distract him. His spell slammed into Harry, throwing him onto his back. Harry lay still.

Without stopping, Ginny leapt when she reached the flying wing, allowing her momentum to carry her. She managed to get halfway up, and, scrabbling against the smooth sun-heated metal, slowly, she managed to pull herself up onto the wing.

The metal panel beside her buckled as a jet of orange light hit it. Ginny rolled to her feet. The pilot, seeing that Harry was more than occupied, had shifted his attention to her. He had thrown open the cockpit, and stood up, aiming his wand at her.

Ginny, changing her main wish from pants to a wand, ran at him. The pilot's second spell grazed her leg, leaving a long red burn of the second degree. He opened his mouth for a third spell, but never made it. Ginny slammed into him, driving her knee into his abdomen, and her arm into his throat simultaneously.

The pilot fell back into the cockpit, hitting his head on its rim. As he slumped, his arm caught a long lever, pulling it downward. The right wheel of the plane began to turn, starting the whole plane on a slow circle.

A truck bearing seven Death Eaters screeched to a stop across the field. Ginny, acting instinctively grabbed the fallen pilot's wand and, pointing it at the truck.

_"Expulso!" _upon contact, the truck exploded outward. A single Death Eater, jumping free of the explosion, began to send curses toward Ginny, who, still standing on the flying wing, was an easy target. Dodging to the left, she hit him with a well-practiced curse, one that had him writhing on the ground, bat like creatures attacking his face.

Continuing its slow circle, the tip of the plane's left wing tore through the metal of a large silo just of the airfield. Fuel spilled across the ground. Rushing toward both the flying wing, and the burning wreckage of the truck.

Harry had been holding as still as he could while the Death Eater cautiously approached, hoping surprise would give him the edge he needed. Instead, he cried out and rolled to the side as one of the plane's propeller whipped through the air above him.

_"Crucio." _The first unforgivable curse of the duel. Harry screamed, though the Cruiciatus curse felt different to all its victims, to him it gave the sensation that his very bones were on fire.

The Death Eater ended the curse, wishing to continue the duel rather than finishing it there. Harry very much wanted to stay where he was, lying on the ground. But instead he got to his feet, making sure to look more shaken than he was. Then he attacked.

_"Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus! Sectumsempra! Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Flipendo!" _His last spell penetrated the bald Death Eater's defenses. Though not felled, as Harry had been, the Death Eater stumbled backward. Harry had scored a hit.

_"Expelliarmus!"_ Harry's wand was sent flying at least twenty feet. Harry himself stumbled under the force of the spell. He stepped into the spreading pool of jet fuel.

The bald Death Eater advanced on Harry, but before he could finish it, he was hit from above, by a leg locker curse. Ginny. Harry had to laugh, as the accomplished duelist fell flat on his face in the oil.

With some difficulty, Harry climbed onto the roof of the flying wing. The Death Eater had recovered and was quickly exchanging spells with Ginny, fuel dripping down his front.

Without warning, the man jumped, landing on the wing between them, after an incredible leap that Harry was sure had been assisted by magic.

_"Expeliarmus!" _Ginny was thrown backward, off the plane, landing heavily on her back in the pool of oil. The Death Eater caught her stolen wand easily, and Harry watched as he crushed it into slivers in his grip.

The bald Death Eater looked into Harry's eyes, then at his forehead, and put his own wand securely into his pocket. The wizard's duel had gone on long enough. There was no enjoyment in killing an unarmed opponent…while one was armed.

Without warning, the Death Eater belted Harry in the face. While in actuality it was not quite that serious, it felt to Harry as if a whomping willow had hit him. His glasses shattered, Harry fell backward of the flying wing. He landed on his back in the unpleasant mixture of sand and jet fuel that the airfield was quickly becoming.

Harry decided that as soon as he could, he would put an unbreakable spell on his glasses. Above, though Harry had to squint heavily to see it, the bald Death Eater simply jumped from the roof of the plane to land in a crouch. Harry scrambled to his feet, but he was too slow. The Death Eater drove his fist into Harry's stomach, as Harry doubled over; the man chopped him on the back, forcing him to his knees.

Harry realized that he was even more outmatched in a physical battle. _Wizards aren't supposed to do this sort of thing._ Nevertheless, he knew that he wouldn't survive by fighting fairly. When the Death Eater grabbed him by the shoulder, intending to lift him to his feet, Harry sank his teeth into the man's arm. 

Releasing him quickly, the bald man stepped back. Harry knew it was the best opportunity he was going to get. He was up in an instant. He put all of his strength into a single punch with his right fist. He slammed it into the Death Eater's face, aiming not so much into the man's face as through it. It actually hurt Harry, it felt as though his knuckles were broken, but he had still got the best of it. The Death Eater's nose was literally flattened, blood pouring down his face.

Harry, surprised by his success, threw another punch. It became all to clear that he had not won, not even close. The Death Eater caught the punch easily, and, still holding Harry's hand, gave him a vicious uppercut which, combined with leg sweep, sent Harry once again sprawling to the ground.

Though Harry's vision had blurred, he could feel a rush of air on his face from behind the Death Eater, one he had felt before. Unaware, the bald man wiped the blood from his face, gritting his teeth at the pain. Harry didn't get up to continue the fight. Instead he covered his face with his arms and screwed his eyes shut.

The flying wing had made a complete circle.

The Death Eater had come into the exact area of propeller two.

When one is sucked into a jet engine, one is not so much cut to pieces as vaporized. Not so with a propeller. What happened to the Death Eater was a great deal worse. Harry, knowing what was about to happen, felt only warm droplets of blood on his exposed skin. Ginny however, had recovered and, not expecting the especially morbid death, had seen the whole thing.

Ginny pulled Harry to his feet, still wearing a glazed look. "Here," she said, handing Harry his wand, as well as his glasses. "I hope you don't mind I used it to fix them."

"No, I don't," Harry got up and took his first clear look around for the last few minutes. He saw that they puddle of fuel had spread, spread until it almost touched the flaming truck.

"Run!" he shouted and, with Ginny beside him, they ran full tilt from the airfield.

At first, there was no explosion. When the flames touched it, the fuel burst into flames and the flames, racing quickly across the sodden ground spread both the silo of fuel, which went up like a pyre, and to the flying which, when the full tank inside ignited, burst out into what was quite possibly the largest explosion Harry had ever seen.

Ark and all.

Dietrich arrived moments after the explosion, flanked by Malfoy.

"My, my," he said quietly to himself, surveying the wreckage of the flying wing. A great deal milder than what many of the others were saying about it.

The most incredible part of all, sitting innocently in the center of the explosion sight, in the remains of the crate that had held, sat the Ark of the Covenant. Completely unharmed.

Malfoy, spoke a single word, a name.

"Potter."


	15. Chapter 15: Persuing The Ark

Chapter fifteen: pursuing the Ark

They found Bill approximately fifteen minutes after the flying wing was destroyed. They had picked up the invisibility cloak, still lying where Ginny had left it. Using it, they passed undetected by the hordes of Death Eaters rushing toward the airfield.

Though they could both fit under it, it was extremely uncomfortable, in more ways than one. Harry was glad to be rid of it once they were away from prying eyes.

Bill had hidden from the Death Eaters in a small tent filled barrels of water and food.

He greeted them both with a bone-crushing hug, "Ginny, Harry, I'm so glad you aren't dead. Look's like you've been through hell though."

"You have no idea," said Ginny, the inferi were never far from her mind. She knew she would see them again the next time she slept.

"I heard the explosion, I'm guessing that was you," Bill continued.

"Well, more or less," said Harry, "more Ginny than me. The Ark is destroyed."

"No it's not," said Bill, pointing to a slit he had made in the wall of the tent. "They've just got it loaded on another crate."

Harry pressed his face against the slit; he didn't like what he saw.

A crate holding the Ark of the Covenant, which had impossibly not been harmed in the slightest, was being loaded into the back of a truck. The truck was of the troop transport variety, the back hidden by a thick tarp, painted dark green. Army issue.

Dietrich strode into view. He looked over the truck, the way the Ark was packed, and nodded his approval. Six Death Eaters filed into the truck. The oldest among them, intimidating despite his graying hair, directed the others. Four, including the older man, climbed into the back with the Ark. The other two got into the front cabin of the truck, one driver, one passenger.

A grey open-topped car pulled in behind the truck. It carried three Death Eaters. With a sinking feeling, Harry recognized one of them as Goler, Dietrich's young second in command. Lastly, a motorcycle with sidecar, bearing two Death Eaters, pulled in ahead of the truck.

Completed, the caravan pulled away, leaving Tanis behind forever.

"They're taking the Ark to Cairo," said Bill, sounding defeated. "I'm sorry, you still gave them a fight for it, but the Ark is gone."

"No, not yet," Harry stood up. He threw Bill the invisibility cloak. "Here, keep this safe for me. Find a way out and get back to Cairo. No, you're not following me this time!" he said before Ginny could reply. "Find a way to get the Ark out of Egypt, I dunno, a plane or something."

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked, though she already knew.

"I'm going after the Ark."

"How, I mean there's thirteen of them and…"

"One of me, I know. But I'm the chosen one, remember."

"You don't even have a vehicle."

"I'll figure it out," Harry shrugged. "I've been making this up as I go along, have been ever since the philosopher's stone. Good luck."

"You'll need it more then us," said Bill. Harry gave them a half-hearted smile, and left. It occurred to Ginny that it might well be the last time she ever saw him alive.

It took Harry nearly five minutes to find his transport. Five minutes head start for the convoy carrying the Ark. Twice he had to duck into the shadows two avoid being seen by groups of Death Eaters. It looked as though the Death Eaters were beginning to vacate Tanis, taking down tents, loading trucks with unused supplies. With the Ark safely on the way to Cairo, there was no reason for them to stay.

Harry found his way to a small tent, which, as he had hoped, was filled with broomsticks. He grabbed one of the sleekest looking; not bothering to check the brand and make as he usually would, and exited the tent. Harry mounted the broom and kicked off into the air. As he left Tanis behind him, he could faintly hear various Death Eaters shouting at him, unable to stop him.

Harry was instantly reminded why he preferred flying by broomstick to any other form of travel. The broom was of a recent make, and swooped quickly through the air, seeming to follow Harry's thoughts. The wind pulled at his hair and clothes, the sun warm on the back of his neck. Far below, the sand streached into the distance, a single line of darker sand represented the road by which the convoy had left.

Harry wished it could have gone on longer, but the convoy came into view quickly. Though they were rushing along the deserted desert road at approximately ninety miles-per-hour, it hadn't taken long for Harry to catch up. Broomsticks are much faster than muggle automobiles. Harry, remembering his last two fights, whispered a spell, tapping his glasses. Now they would neither shatter nor fly from his face.

Taking a deep breath, Harry dived, pulling out some feet above the convoy. Needless to say, it didn't take them long to notice him. Harry dodged as a rain of spells jetted up at him. From both the men in the back of Goler's car, as well as the Death Eaters leaning out of the back of the truck.

_"Stupefy!" _Harry's spell connected with one of the men in the back of the truck. Immobilized, he tumbled from the truck to the sandy ground. Goler's car barreled over him.

Harry dived lower, till he was flying on the right side of the truck. The men in the back shouted at the Death Eaters in Goler's car, whose spells were now pounding into the truck, denting the metal and tearing through the tarmac as if it were paper. Goler's men ignored them.

Harry came level with the truck's passenger door. Stunning the Death Eater leaning out the window, He climbed from the broom, which without him to guide it, was whipped away and quickly left behind. Harry was left standing on the step outside of the truck's door.

Harry wrenched open the passenger door, allowing the stunned Death Eater to fall from the truck, landing by the side of the road. Harry ducked as a curse from the driver shot over his head, then he slipped into the truck, shutting the door behind him.

Harry shot a jinx at the driver, who managed to block the spell, which tore through the seat instead. Both Harry and the driver realized that they were much to close and confined for a wizard's duel.

Grabbing the wheel with a single hand, the driver twisted his arm around Harry's neck. Harry punched the driver in the jaw, but the man's grip remained firm. However, the man's foot eased of the accelerator, and both men were thrown foreword into the dashboard as Goler's car slammed into the back of the truck.

Harry grabbed the wheel with one hand, as the driver fought to regain control of the truck; Harry grabbed his face with his other hand. The driver's grip around his neck was loosened enough for Harry to slip free. With renewed confidence, Harry shoved the man as hard as he could; the driver fell out of the truck through the opening door. As he fell to the sand and was quickly left behind, Harry slid into the vacated driver's seat.

Harry was glad that, unlike many wizards, he had bothered to learn how to drive. He was jolted out of his thoughts as Goler's car once again slammed into the truck, this time from the side. Harry wrenched the wheel to the right; he felt the truck shudder as he connected with Goler's car, driving it off the road.

Harry ducked as a spell hit the front of the truck, shattering the windshield. Shaking the glass dust from his hair, Harry saw the motorcycle ahead of him. The Death Eater in the sidecar had turned to aim at him.

Harry pressed down on the accelerator. Upon seeing the large military issue truck barring down on him, the driver of the motorcycle swerved out of the way, hoping to avoid the coming collision.

As the motorcycle slipped out of the way, the truck still hit the side car. The motorcycle was overturned, sliding down a steep incline on one side of the road. The two Death Eaters, climbing from the totaled bike, watched the truck speed into the distance. A moment later, a gray car sped after it.

The truck shuddered as Goler's car slammed into it again, and again. The car pulled up on the right side of the truck. Spells pounded into the truck, one missed Harry by an inch. He slouched lower in his seat as the car swerved into the side of the truck. The truck was pushed closer and closer to the side of the road.

The car pulled slightly foreword. Harry could see Goler facing him from the front seat of the car. He ducked out of view as Goler's spell hit the door, denting it inward. Harry, knowing he would only have one shot at this, pointed his wand out the window.

A jet of blue flames blasted from Harry's wand. They missed Goler completely, but Goler had never been Harry's target. Instead the flames hit the car's hood, penetrating its engine. As the gasoline ignited, the car, Goler, and the two other passengers were engulfed in a ball of flame.

Harry pressed down even harder on the accelerator, and the truck leapt foreword, leaving the burning car behind. There were no more enemies outside of the truck, but Harry knew he wasn't home free yet.

He only had a matter of time before the Death Eaters in the back of the truck began causing trouble.

He didn't have long to wait.

In the back of the truck, three men stood, leaning on the crated Ark for support.

"All respect, sir," one of the younger Death Eaters, speaking to the older man, who obviously their leader. "But what can we do?"

"It's three against one, what are ye afraid of," the eldest Death Eater spoke with a slight Scottish accent.

"But did you see what he did to that car-"

"I don't care if it's bleedin' Harry Potter himself. Don' ye know what'll happen if his kind get their hands on this!" the Death Eater punctuated his sentence by pounding his fist on the crated Ark, his point made.

That said, the two younger Death Eater's nodded. The braver of the two climbed out of the truck. Inching his way across the right side of the moving vehicle, holding his wand tightly.

Harry saw the approaching Death Eater in the rear view mirror. He swerved violently, and managed to shake the Death Eater from his grip. The man fell from the truck to land heavily on the dirt road, quickly left behind.

Harry allowed himself a small smile, pleased at how many he had made due without killing. What he didn't see, the falling Death Eater had torn a long strip from the tarp on his way down, leaving an opening.

The second young Death Eater eased out of the opening, unseen by Harry, he climbed over to the driver's side of the cabin.

_"Crucio!" _the Death Eater's spell connected. The truck twisted off the road as Harry lost his concentration. Through the haze of pain, Harry kicked the driver's side door open with all his strength. The door flew open. The pain ended as the Death Eater lost control of the spell, focusing again on hanging to the door, which now hung open, dragging the man's feet along the sandy ground.

As Harry got the truck back under control, and up onto the road, the door swung back. Harry turned to see the Death Eater ride the door back to him, clutching it in one hand, his wand in the other, his face white with fear.

_"Avada-" _Harry kicked the door again. It swung out even farther. Pointing his wand at the door, which was even now bending under the weight of the Death Eater, Harry shouted _"Diffindo!" _the severing charm cut the door from the truck, and it, along with its passenger, was quickly left behind.

The man in the back groaned at seeing all his men defeated so easily. Unlike them, he had fought in the second war, and he felt he knew how to deal with such interlopers.

The Death Eater climbed out the back of the truck, but instead of inching across the sides, he climbed upward, holding his wand in his teeth. The Death Eater crawled across the roof of the truck. Reaching the cabin, he grabbed the top of the roof, and swung himself through into the cabin. Enjoying the look of surprise on Harry's face as his boots slammed into him, knocking Harry across the seat.

The Death Eater, now sitting in the driver's seat, drove Harry's head into the dashboard. Harry tried to get his wand up, but the new driver punched him in the head three times, before grabbing him by the shoulders and, with surprising strength, hurling Harry through the broken windshield.

Harry fell onto the hood, he slid turning so as his feet dangle of the truck, he faced the Death Eater. The Death Eater raised his wand. Harry let go as a flash of green light jetted above him. He meant to grab the front of the truck, but the truck drove over him so quickly, the axle rushing past inches from his face, that he barely managed to grab hold of the truck's rear bumper.

Harry was dragged along the road on his back, which was very painful, and ruined his shirt. After a few tries, Harry managed to roll over onto his stomach. It hurt even more being dragged that way, but he could now see the truck ahead him.

Painstakingly, over several minutes, Harry managed to pull himself up into the back of the truck. He slumped onto the box stored there, breathing heavily. Then he stood up quickly, realizing he had been sitting on the crate which held the Ark of the Covenant.

Harry could have stayed in the back of the truck, waiting to see what would happen, but he was to full of anger and adrenaline. Harry made another cut in the tarp with his wand, this time on the left side, and eased out. This time, remembering what the Death Eater had done, he swung himself into the truck, shouting _"Stupefy!"_

_"Protego!" _the Death Eater managed to block the spell, but not Harry. Harry's shoulder slammed into him, nearly knocking him out of the truck. The Death Eater retaliated by throwing a punch at Harry's head, but he only dealt Harry a glancing blow, distracted by Harry driving his elbow into his stomach.

Harry punched the driver twice, in the jaw and in the stomach, and then grabbed him by the shoulders. Harry could have very easily thrown the older man out where the door had been severed, but he was much too angry. Instead, Harry hurled the man out through the windshield. Unlike Harry, the Death Eater did not slid down the middle of the hood. He went down the left side. The truck bounced slightly as it crushed the man under its weight.

Harry slid back into the driver's seat. It would be a long drive to Cairo, and Harry felt more beat up than he ever had in his life. But still, he had beaten Dietrich. He had the Ark, and it would soon be safely in England. But for now, Harry was content to simply await the bath, large meal, and warm bed that waited for him at his destination.

All three were long overdue.


	16. Chapter 16: The Bantu Wind

Chapter sixteen: the Bantu Wind

Harry had made it back to Cairo without any further excitement. The truck was quickly sold to a native man for much less than it was worth, and the crate, with the Ark safely inside, was simply hidden in Bill and Fluer's garage.

Bill and Ginny had made it safely back from Tanis, arriving before Harry. Bill had booked passage for two passengers and a crate on a cargo ship maintained by wizards, called the Bantu Wind; Ginny had decided to come back to England with Harry.

They both spent the night at Bill and Fluer's. Harry was secretly very glad that Ginny had insisted he take the guest bedroom, sleeping on the couch herself. She had been much quieter, and much more obliging to Harry, after her experience with the inferi in the Well of Souls, which Harry saw as an improvement. He didn't envy her; he would rather fight off fifty more Death Eaters than half as many inferi.

Still, what Harry felt best about, was that the quest for the Ark was over. No more Death Eaters, no more fights, no more chases, no more surprises.

He was wrong.

Early afternoon on the day after he had safely gotten the Ark to Cairo. Harry, Ginny, Bill and Fleur were gathered on one of the city's seedier and more vacant docks. Before them was the Bantu Wind, a medium sized steamer that carried mainly cargo, but also passengers when paid enough. It had taken the last of the money Harry had gotten from the ministry to get them passage.

The ship's captain, a stocky African American wizard wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, walked down the gangplank, smoking a cigarette. He shook hands with Bill, glancing at the others, especially Harry. Harry had his arm around Ginny's shoulders. Though partly from affection, the biggest reason for this was that he still so exhausted he could barely stand. While magic was all well and good for sealing cuts and bruises, it didn't take away the aches and tiredness nearly as well.

"Take good care of them, and the crate too, that's especially important," Bill told the captain.

"I will, I'm certainly being paid enough." The captain spoke, turning the Harry, he spoke. "Harry Potter, we all owe you a great debt. My name is Chris Katanga, and, as you may have heard, I am the captain of this vessel. We will be departing in twenty minutes; someone will show you two your cabins." He walked back up the gangplank, not looking back. Harry hadn't figured out whether he liked the man or not.

They said their last goodbyes to Fleur and Bill, and Ginny, still supporting Harry, walked up the gangplank to disappear below the decks.

Twenty three minutes later, the Bantu wind pulled out to sea.

Harry's room was small, but nice. Just a single bed, a table with two chairs, and an attached bathroom that had only a toilet and sink, not a shower. Still, there was a window over the bed, giving a good view of the waves stretching into the distance, land masses sometimes visible. Harry realized he had never really been on a long boat trip.

Harry sat on the bed. Wincing somewhat, he pulled of his shirt, which was harder than it had ever been before. Looking in the mirror, he saw that, while he looked better than he felt, he still appeared reasonably beat up. He reminded himself that considering what had happened both in the truck and on the flying wing, he ought to learn better how to fight without magic. It could really come in handy.

Someone knocked a short rhythm on the wooden door. "Come in." Ginny did.

"Oh" she said, seeing Harry. "Sorry, I'll come back later."

"No, you're fine."

"Okay," she sat on one of the chairs. "This looks the same as my cabin, mostly," she said, looking around but at the same time avoiding Harry.

"You know, you really do look pretty beat up. Then, again, so do I. Its those bloody inferi that did it."

"Yeah, I hate those things."

"You met some before?"

"Yes, when I went with Dumbledore to a cave to…get something. Anyway, they all came out of the lake and I tried to fight them off but I couldn't, they just kept coming, and then Dumbledore was there, and he held them off with fire till we got out. One of the scariest things…"

"When was that?" asked Ginny, thinking that he had pretty much described her experience in the Well of Souls.

"During my sixth year, you know."

"Yep, I remember that one all right." They lapsed into silence, remembering. Harry sat on the bed, stretching out.

"Well, the reason I came her, was, well, I just wanted to thank you," Ginny continued. "You were really great, you know, even back in Nepal. I mean, first the Basilisk, then saving me from the inferi. After we took that beating at the flying wing, I was done. But you still went after the truck, I don't even know what you did there, but I'm guessing it hurt. Anyway, thanks, you've always been like that, I suppose." She stood up and glanced at Harry.

He had fallen asleep. Ginny sighed, and, kissing him lightly on the forehead, she left.

Harry woke up knowing something was wrong.

The Bantu Wind had stopped moving.

Harry got up, he still ached all over, but he felt better than the day before, he could tell it was morning from the sun streaming through the windows.

Harry pulled on a clean shirt and, as an afterthought, the invisibility cloak. He ducked out into the hallway. Harry thought about getting Ginny, but decided against it. Instead, he snuck up the stairs toward the deck.

That's when he heard the voices.

"You have no right to be aboard this vessel," Harry recognized Katanga's voice.

"You will find that what I do, or do not, have a right to is of very little consequence," Harry shivered. The voice belonged to Hernon Dietrich.

He reached the top of the stairs and ducked next to the doorframe, watching outward. Katanga and his crew stood on the deck with open hostility. Across from them were the Death Eaters. Dietrich in front, Toht beside him, no sign of Malfoy. Seeing that many of the Death Eaters carried broomsticks, Harry realized how they had got aboard.

"I find I must ask you," said Dietrich. "About the location of a one Harry Potter. He has quickly become a great nuisance to us."

"I killed him." Harry was impressed by how easily Katanga lied.

"You what?"

"I killed him, threw the body over the side. He's no use to us, is he? But whatever he's got in that crate is very valuable. As is the girl. Girls like her are always worth a few easy galleons."

"I see, however I seriously doubt the truth of that story."

"Here," Malfoy walked onto the deck, exiting from the passage opposite Harry. Behind him Ginny was carried between two large Death Eaters. Harry could see she had fought, though she had given up now. One of the Death Eaters had a bloody nose, and Malfoy a black eye, which made Harry quite pleased.

Still, if there had been a fight, Ginny had taken the worst of it. Her lip was cut, and there was blood on her face. Her arms were bound, though her legs were free so she could walk. She had been taken unawares, her hair disheveled, she was wearing what she had slept in, long black pants, a loose white t-shirt, her feet bare.

"We found the Ark too," said Malfoy, "the rest are getting it." as Dietrich nodded at Ginny, averting his eyes from Katanga for the briefest moment, the man acted.

The battle was over before it began. It lasted about ten seconds. When the smoke cleared two Death Eaters lay dead, three more wounded. Katanga and all his men were stone dead.

"A pity," said Dietrich, putting his wand back into his suit pocket, "I was beginning to like him."

Four more Death Eaters joined the others on the deck, carrying between them the crate that housed the Ark of the Covenant. The crate was hung in a sort of saddle between four of the brooms.

"Well, I suppose we should leave," said Dietrich, mounting his broom. Ginny was tied to it behind him.

"What about Potter?" asked Malfoy.

"He is hiding beneath his cloak of invisibility, watching us even now. It would waste valuable time to search for him. We ensure that he will follow us by taking the girl. As you have told me, he certainly seems to have a 'saving people thing'." Dietrich ordered Toht to dismount and ride behind another Death Eater, which did not please either of them in the slightest. With that, Dietrich kicked off; the huge formation of Death Eaters flew into the clouds.

They had left Toht's broom behind.

Harry realized that what Dietrich had said was correct. After all they had been through; he couldn't lose the Ark, or Ginny, to Dietrich, not now.

Harry mounted the broom, draping the invisibility cloak over himself, and making sure he had his wand, he cast off.

The Bantu Wind was left to drift, crewed by the dead.


	17. Chapter 17: Preparing The Ritual

Chapter seventeen: preparing the ritual.

Harry flew after the Death Eaters all morning and well into the afternoon. He made sure to stay a good distance behind them; he wasn't sure how well the invisibility cloak covered him while flying. He couldn't help but appreciate that Toht's broom was very capable, probably better than the one he had used when going after the truck.

Harry began to grow uncomfortable. While flying was one of his favorite forms of travel, it hurt severely to do it for long periods of time. This wasn't helped the fact that the cloak seemed to magnify the sun's heat, Harry's clothes clung to him with sweat. On top of that, he hadn't eaten since the Bantu Wind had left Egypt, and was growing hungry and, more so, thirsty.

Harry was thankful when the formation of Death Eaters changed direction, swooping downward toward an island. As Harry approached, he could see that the island was seemingly deserted. With white sandy beaches, a forest of amazingly green plants, and a rocky peak at its center, the island appeared to Harry like somewhere that in a very different life he would have enjoyed. He wondered why Dietrich had chosen to come here.

Harry thought the group of Death Eaters would come into a landing on the beach. He was wrong; instead the formation swooped toward a rocky cliff, which interrupted the beach. They entered it through a gaping entrance that interceded with the water.

Harry followed a short time afterward. Inside, metal catwalks, platforms and gurneys surrounded the water, built into the black stone. Harry touched down behind a pile of crates. Under him the metal platform shifted, Harry realized it was seriously rusted. Worse, it let out a loud creaking clang. Harry ducked lower, making sure he was covered by the invisibility cloak. Harry didn't discover this till afterward, but the cave had been a secret German submarine dock during the 1930s. Located on an uncharted island near Greece, Dietrich had made it his center of operations upon escaping Azkaban.

No one seemed to hear his loud arrival. Harry, leaving his borrowed broom behind the crates, crept out. The Death Eaters milled around, Harry noticed that many of them had changed into the more traditional black robes and mask they had worn while surviving Lord Voldemort.

Harry saw Dietrich and Malfoy talking to each other in hushed tones, standing near an abandoned mess room. He darted closer, careful not to make any more noises with the aged gantry.

"Are you sure about this…this ritual," it was Dietrich speaking.

"Yes, I am," Malfoy sounded confident. "We found the scroll in Tanis, near the Well of Souls."

"And this Jewish ritual is the only way to harness the Ark's power."

"Well, it's the only way we know."

"Very well, we'll do it after nightfall, I know the perfect place. Assemble the men; we're heading up the mountain."

Thinking that there was no way this could be good news, Harry slipped away.

He found Ginny. She was leaning against a crate near the door. She was surrounded by no less than five Death Eaters, who watched her every move. Harry knew he had no chance of freeing her without alerting Dietrich to his presence. He moved on.

The Death Eaters began to leave, exiting up a ladder which, Harry expected, took them outside. Harry had decided that it was time to stop being invisible. There was a cloaked Death Eater loitering beside on of the crates. Harry moved toward him.

The Death Eater was about Harry's size. Harry slipped behind him, poking his wand out from beneath the cloak.

_"Stupefy." _He whispered. The Death Eater collapsed. Harry pulled him back behind the crate. Shielded by the wooden crate, Harry toke off the cloak, and removed the Death Eater's clothes, pulling them on over his clothes. As an afterthought, he bound the Death Eater with the same magical ropes that had been used on Ginny.

Now identical to the other Death Eaters, Harry joined the crowd streaming up the ladder and into the sunshine.

He didn't yet know how he would rescue Ginny, but he knew that if he was to act, it had to be before nightfall.

The Death Eaters marched silently through the forest. Dietrich led at their head, the crate which held the Ark floating ahead of him. Ginny was near the front also, two Death Eaters kept a tight grip on her arms, walking beside her.

Harry had formulated a plan. He would reach Ginny and, overpowering the Death Eaters guarding her by surprise, they would flee back to the submarine dock and escape by broomstick. Harry saw no way of getting the Ark safely away from Dietrich; he would just have to tell the ministry what had happened.

Over time, the jungle faded into cold gray rock. When Harry found them walking up a sloping canyon, rock walls twenty feet high on each side, he decided it was time to act.

Over the last hour, he had slowly been shortening the gap between him and Ginny. Now he eased past the last few Death Eaters in his way till he was directly behind her.

Harry leaned slightly and whispered in Ginny's ear. "In ten seconds, we're going to run. Follow my lead."

Ginny said nothing, but Harry saw the surprise in her eyes. He stepped backward slightly, reaching into his stolen robes for his wand.

_"Stupefy!" _the red spell hit one of the Death Eaters holding Ginny in the back, he pitched foreword, releasing his grip. Freed on one side, Ginny drove her elbow into the stomach of the Death Eater on her right. She shoved him in the chest, at the same time hooking her leg around his. He went down, and Ginny ran, Harry close behind.

Spells impacted into the rocks around them, none hitting their target. Harry sent back three of his own spells, but didn't look back to see if they had connected.

Then they were out of the canyon. Harry and Ginny, side by side, sprinted across the rocky ground, Ginny hissing in pain as the jagged edges cut into her feet. Harry tore off his mask as he ran; he would no longer need it.

With a pop, a Death Eater apperated directly ahead of them. Harry felled him with a curse, but five more Death Eaters appeared, surrounding them.

Harry stunned one of them, hitting another with a jinx that made him too weak to stand. The other three reacted better, blocking Harry's attacks. Ginny ducked behind him, wishing for her broken wand.

Harry blocked the next curse directed on him; it rebounded onto another Death Eater, who was downed by the magic. Harry ducked under another spell, and disarmed his second to last opponent, who he then hit with a leg-locker curse. Harry turned to the last Death Eater, who dissapperated rather than face him.

"Not bad, Potter, not bad at all." Draco Malfoy stood behind them, twirling his wand between his fingers. Harry raised his wand to point at Malfoy's chest, the blonde man made no move to replicate the gesture.

"I am not your enemy Potter."

"Could've fooled me," Harry said, through gritted teeth.

"I know, I have done rather a good performance, haven't I. But the truth is, while I don't care a bit about you and less about your blood traitor girlfriend, I find I still owe you."

"So what?"

"I don't believe in Dietrich's vision, Potter. Still, I can't be seen letting you escape. Come along quietly, it'll be better for you that way."

Harry lashed out. He uttered no spell, but Malfoy was blasted off his feet by the force of the magic. He fell out of sight. Harry stepped a few feet forward to see that he had magically pushed Malfoy over the side of the canyon. Malfoy know lay spread-eagled on the stones below, blood trickling from a cut on his head, motionless.

"Harry Potter, I find myself actually glad to see you." Dietrich stood below, staring up at Harry and Ginny. He was surrounded by most of the Death Eaters, the crate holding the Ark floating next to him, deceivingly innocent. "You see, though you have caused us major inconvenience, not to mention destruction and loss of life, over the last week, I find I would not feel that I have won completely, without you here to see it."

"I was hoping not to be."

"Yes, I did see you trying to leave. Trying to take the girl with you, of course. Draco has told me that is your weakness, you cannot resist a friend in distress, particularly when they are of the female persuasion. Now please, stop this nonsense. Come down, you know you can't possibly escape."

"Well, you see, that's a great plan. If I were in the mood to cooperate. I'm not, so I'll have to call it goodbye here and now." Harry felt Ginny's hand, ready to apperate them both.

That was when the short wand jabbed Harry, poking him in the neck. "You'll find, Mr. Potter, that leaving now would be incredibly rude. You see, we are going to allow you two to watch the ceremony, before we kill you." Toht whispered into Harry's ear. He jabbed his wand in even further, to make his point.


	18. Chapter 18: The Ark Is Opened

Chapter eighteen: the Ark is opened

Harry's wand was taken from him. He and Ginny were marched down to meet Dietrich. Taking no more chances, they were both tied magically, and floated along like the Ark.

Harry couldn't help but notice the sun sinking toward the mountain; it would not be long till dark. Still, Harry felt at peace. He had done all he could. If he had lost, it certainly hadn't been for lack of trying. He supposed that if the opportunity arose, he would take it, but he doubted there would be another opportunity for escape. What he felt worse about was Ginny, though she had come by her own free will, he still felt responsible for dragging her into this. At least they would die together.

After a shorter time than Harry expected, they reached the 'perfect spot' Dietrich had decided the ceremony would take place. It was sort of like an amphitheater, but formed naturally out of the rock. Night was falling. The Death Eaters put up several long poles, light fell from the top to spill over the amphitheatre, lighting it perfectly.

It was to one of these poles that Harry and Ginny had been tied, back to back. The Death Eaters ignored them, bustling around preparing for the coming ritual.

Harry watched the sunset, falling down over the horizon in a merge of purple and orange, it was probably the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen.

"You know, it's been nice," he said.

"Nice?"

"Yeah, you know, I'm glad you made me bring you to Egypt. I'm just sorry it turned out like this."

"We'll get out somehow, we always do."

"I'm not so sure this time."

"What's this defeatist talk I hear, Potter," Malfoy strode toward them. Harry was pleased to see that he had not yet sealed the cut on his forehead.

"The ritual is about to begin."

"I can hardly wait."

"I wouldn't be telling you this, Potter, Weasley, except that, as I said earlier, I owe you. So just a word of advice: Keep your eyes shut." With that, Malfoy walked away.

"Keep your eyes shut, what kind of rubbish advice is that," Ginny muttered.

"Maybe he thinks it'll be nicer to die that way," Harry shrugged a reply.

"Yeah, well I'd like to keep his eyes shut," she grumbled. Harry smiled.

The Death Eaters had entered the amphitheatre. There were about fifty in all, they stood in neat rows, all wearing their black robes, masks off.

Toht, still wearing his black suit and trench coat, led four more Death Eaters up onto a large flat rock. It was there that the Ark would be opened. The Death Eater's carried the Ark on two wooden poles, not making it hover as Dietrich had. They set it down, and went to join their fellows. Toht stayed on the rock, but stepped backward as Dietrich approached.

Dietrich wore ceremonial robes of white and gold, a white turban on his head. Over his robes, he wore a breastplate decorated with multi-colored jewels. He carried a long polished staff with a ram's head carved into its tip.

When he reached the pedestal, he raised his wand. The lid of the ark rose into the air to hang above him. He reached into the Ark, and pulled out a handful of dark sand. A look of surprise on his face, the sand trickled through his fingers, back into the Ark. Harry was surprised also, it hadn't occurred to him that over time the Ten Commandments would have crumbled to dust. Couldn't be much use to Dietrich now.

Dietrich began to chant, growing louder with every word. Harry couldn't understand him; he was most likely speaking in Hebrew. Still, Harry felt the power of his words, which grew louder and louder.

As the chanting continued, the ark began to glow from inside, becoming a portal to the heavens. A place man was not meant to see with mortal eyes.

As the chanting reached its crescendo, Dietrich raised his arms, his wand in his right hand, the staff in his left. At the last sacred word, a pillar of blue light poured from the Ark, pushing the Ark's lid high into the air. The pillar disappeared into the dark clouds above, than seconds later; it reemerged as two streams of the unearthly blue light. The streams intertwined ornately, spiraling around each other, but never touching. Harry was hypnotized. It was by far the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He couldn't have looked away, even if he had wanted to.

_Keep your eyes shut._

Harry now realized what Malfoy had meant. Though it took all his strength, and more besides, he closed his eyes against the beautiful sight. Blue light was still visible through his eyelids. 

"Ginny, close your eyes."

"But, I can't, I have to look, it's so…"

"Ginny, trust me!" And Ginny did. She closed her eyes.

The two beams of light reached the ground. One of them streamed out, blue energy plunged into the field of staring Death Eaters. It reached out to touch each and every one of their hearts pouring through their skin into their hearts. They beat impossibly fast for a second, then stopped. A second later, they were vaporized.

The other stream of light touched down before Dietrich, it morphed into a single human figure. Dietrich had already forgotten about Toht, who was just as hypnotized by the sight. The pillar of light had become a human figure. A woman, wearing a long flowing garment that swirled around her, her bare feet hovering inches over the rock, her long hair blowing in an invisible wind. She was beautiful, the most beautiful woman on Earth, because she was not of the Earth, and never had been.

She smiled at Dietrich, as she did so, her skin changed. Shrinking inward, in a matter of seconds she had gone from beautiful to hideous. A creature very like a human skeleton, but with the sickly flaking skin of a leper, her garment tearing and rotting before their eyes, only her hair remained the same. The woman, horrible as it was it was still recognizably female, leaned foreword toward Dietrich, as if to kiss him. Then her torn and pus-covered lips parted in a snarl. Her teeth were pitch black and pointed, row upon row, like a shark.

Toht began to melt. Literally. His skin bubbled, drops running down his face like tears, as if he were a massive wax figure in a furnace. His glasses slid down his face as his nose disappeared, his eyes rolled in their sockets as the skin surrounding them slipped away. Toht was no longer recognizable, a skull with fleshy liquid and boiling blood running down it. Lastly, what was left of him collapsed, as the woman released him from her gaze.

Dietrich's fate was different, but no less horrid. His skin drew taught across his face, his mouth opened impossibly wide in a dying scream. Blood trickled from his rolling eyes, and poured from his ears now barely more than holes in his head. The skin of his forehead began to tear, the white bone of his skull, stained by blood, came into view.

The woman did not release him, as she had Toht, their eyes remained locked. Then Dietrich's body exploded outward, unable to take more strain. His blood ran down the rock, pieces of bone, skin, and organs splattered across the surrounding area. But none found their way onto the Ark.

The woman stepped back, once again the most beautiful creature the world had ever seen. Her work on this world over, the mortal who had summoned her destroyed, she once again became a pillar of blue light. The light was swept into the air, and then down, swirling into the Ark. From far above, the lid of the Ark fell, spinning, to land neatly into place, sealing the Ark once more.

Harry opened his eyes. He had not seen the gruesome deaths of over fifty Death Eaters, but he had felt the energy rippling around him. It had now stopped, he found himself faint of breath, he suddenly felt very empty at the lack of it.

"I see you took my advice, Potter." Draco Malfoy walked into view. He sat down on a rock in front of Harry.

"It's him, isn't it." said Ginny. "That dirty-"

"Malfoy just saved our lives," Said Harry. For the first time in years, he felt no hatred toward Malfoy, just emptiness. It was a start.

"Though I doubt he realized," said Malfoy, "Dietrich summoned the Angel of Death. The very same that brought the plagues upon Egypt. Let us suffice to say that she is not called the Angel of Death for nothing."

"You had that planned all along," Harry said, knowing it was true the moment he said it.

"Yes, as Dietrich was already set on obtaining the Ark, it seemed the most appropriate way to dispose of him. Whatever you may say against me, the last thing the world needs, in my opinion, is another Dark Lord.

"I know you didn't know anything about my plan Potter, and I had to play my part well. For what it's worth, you did well too. You nearly escaped with the Ark."

Malfoy stood. "I will leave you two to find your own way home. Take the Ark, I don't want it." with a wave of his wand, Malfoy severed the ropes from around Harry and Ginny.  
>"Oh, and Potter," he said.<p>

"Yes," said Harry, trying to massage the feeling back into his wrists.

"See you around." With a slight incline of the head, Malfoy disapperated.

Harry took a look around, and wished he hadn't. The Angel of Death was not known for cleaning up after herself.

"I guess we aren't dead after all." said Ginny, grinning.

"That's always a good feeling," Harry agreed. "We can use those brooms to fly out of here in the morning, if I'm not able to find my wand around here somewhere. Someone else can come and collect the Ark, I'm sick of it."

"So, we'll be here all night?"

"Unless, you fancy flying out in the dark."

"Right. Well, I'm not at all tired, all that blue stuff about wound me up." Ginny looked out, it really was a good view from the mountain. "I wonder if there's anything interesting back in the submarine dock. Or at least some food, truth be told, I could really go for a swim."


	19. Chapter 19: Among The Mysteries

Chapter nineteen: among the mysteries

"We all owe you a great deal, Harry," said Otis Musgrove.

"Don't thank me, thank Malfoy."

"Well, yes. Mr. Malfoy played his part. But you are the auror we sent to represent us. You were supposed to retrieve the Ark, and keep it out of the hands of the Death Eaters, both have been accomplished, along with the Death of Mr. Dietrich and his movement."

Harry once again sat in the conference room in the Ministry of Magic. He and Ginny had parted ways when they reached England two days ago. While they had given him some significant vacation time, Harry still had to be debriefed.

Behind Musgrove stood a second man, his name was Eaten. Harry didn't know whether that was his first, last, or middle name. He had not yet spoken.

"We at the ministry believe it might be a good idea if this was kept quiet. We can trust that both you and Miss Weasley will keep this secret?"

"Yes." Harry didn't feel like saying anything more.

"Good, Good. Oh and I almost forgot, you've received a bonus, a hefty one to, I might add. The Minister himself ordered it." Musgrove gave Harry three small bags, heavy with Galleons.

"Thanks," Harry put the bags in his pockets, where they were comfortably heavy. While he knew it wasn't everything, more money was never a bad thing.

"Once again, thank you Harry, you did very well." Musgrove stood.

"Erm, Mr. Musgrove. I have a question."

"Ask away Harry."

"What happened to the Ark, exactly? Where is it?"

"It's in a undisclosed location."

"Be careful, it's not safe."

"You'll find that at the ministry, we make it our business to deal with things that are, as you put it, 'not safe'."

Harry opened his mouth to protest further, but Musgrove raised a hand, stopping him.

"Our…Business." He repeated slowly. Then he followed Eaton out the door without another word.

As they left, Eaton turned to Musgrove, and spoke for the first time.

"He had talent."

"Indeed, he does."

"Use him wisely."

"I plan to."

"But give him a break. Something easier, not so life-threatening. He's earned it."

"If you say so. We've got something in mind. An under-cover job in Shanghai. We'll give him a few months to get settled in, and then I'll call him up again."

Harry left the ministry by elevator, stewing inside. The ministry had no idea what they Ark was capable off. They might even try to use it themselves. It would serve them right.

When Harry exited the elevator on ground level, disguised as a muggle telephone booth, someone was waiting for him. The red-haired young woman leaned the side of the alley. She wore jeans, trainers, and a green jacket over a gray t-shirt.

"Hi," said Ginny, "How'd it go."

"Lousy. They don't what they've got."

"Well, I know what I've got."

"What?"

"Company. I got a room at the Leaky Cauldron for now, but now that I'm going to live in London, I have some stuff to do."

"So you're going to stay."

"Yeah, for a while at least. To be closer to, you know, stuff."

"Right, stuff."

'Yeah, anyway. I haven't even been to the alley yet. I need a new wand for one thing. That, and I was thinking of going to George's shop. I was…well…I was thinking of seeing if he'd hire me, you know, just for a little while."

"No, that's a great idea."

"Glad you think so. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come too, I'd buy you dinner."

"No, I'll buy, I just got paid."

"That's fine, better actually. I haven't really got much money yet."

Ginny continued talking as they left the alley to join the muggle pedestrians out on the street, but Harry wasn't really listening. He knew that the Ark of the Covenant was something he never wanted to see again; it could remain lost, for all he cared. But not everything that came from searching for it was bad.

Barny Fikes cursed his arthritis for the fifth time that day. Barny Fikes was an unspeakable. He worked in the Department of Mysteries, which was, in his opinion, highly overrated. All he did was store boxes.

Several miles square, the warehouse was the largest room in the Department of Mysteries. It was filled with crates. Barny had no idea what they held, after working in his department long enough; you learned not to ask questions. They might have been filled with treasure, or weapons, or perhaps priceless historical documents. Barny knew better than to check, if he did he'd have his memory modified and his pay docked within the day.

Barny slid the crate he had been pushing into place. Made of wood, it read:

TOP SECRET

** PROPERTY OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC**

** NO. 9906753**

**DO NOT DISTURB**

**ONLY TO BE HANDLED WITH PROPER AUTHORIZATION**

Barny left it there and shuffled back down the row. The crates stacked up a mile high on each side; it felt as though he were the only creature in existence. It wasn't his favorite feeling.

After he got off, he'd go to the Leaky Cauldron with some of the boys. He'd tell them all tall tales about fighting dragons and brewing advanced cures for wizarding diseases, and they'd all have a laugh. Still, none of them knew how boring his job really was.

Still, it paid the rent.

Barney had now left the crate far behind. He didn't see the tendril of blue energy that played around its surface. Burning out the ministry logo till it was unreadable.

The Ark of the Covenant had been put to rest


End file.
